Full text of "The American Legion [Volume 171, No. 6 (December 2011)]"

See other formats

zuww.legion.org

$2.50 DECEMBER 2011

THE AMERICAN sJ

The magazine for a strong America

^ 1

h y

.2J

;J J J

Veterans won't let the world forget Dec. 7, 1941

A Hero Comes Home

DEFICIT DISORD

BY WELFARE-REFORM ARCHITECT RON HAS KINS

FOR GOD AND COUNTRY SINCE 1919

ANNOUNCING NEW RELEASE OFFER FOR FIRST TIME CUSTOMERS

American Eagle

$44 95

2012 SILVER

AMERICAN EAGLES

The highly anticipated pre-release for the new 201 2
Silver American Eagles is here! And, for a limited
time you can order this passionately popular coin
at the special pre-release price of only $44.95*.
Demand for these solid silver coins will be as strong as
ever and we anticipate a flood of new orders during this
limited time offer. There can only be one pre-release
offer each year so don't miss your opportunity to be a
part of it. . .call and order yours today!

Genuine United States Legal Tender

These amazing Eagles are the "real thing," genuine
U.S. legal tender. . .they're not private mint issues or

commemoratives. And because the Silver American
Eagle is a genuine U.S. legal tender coin, their precious
metal content, a full loz of silver, is backed and guaran-
teed by the full faith of the U.S. government. In addition,
we guarantee your satisfaction with our 1 0-day in home
inspection period.

Act Now for Special Pre-Release Price

Order yours today for only $44.95.* But don't wait, order
now because any rise in the price of silver could force us
to withdraw this offer at anytime and without further
notice. Don't miss this opportunity. . . it may be your only
one! Call now.

CALL NOW TOLL FREE (800) 323-5055

*This offer may change depending on the current market price for silver.
The expected ship date for your order is mid January 201 2 and is pending their release from the U.S. Mint.

INTERNATIONAL CURRENCY

8725 EASTEX FREEWAY • BEAUMONT, TX 77708
IC#2AL1211

BBB

★ * * TO HONOR YOUR SERVICE TO COUNTRY * * *

EXCLUSIVE UNITED STATES MILITARY

BIRTHSTONE WATCHES

Personalized with Your Birthstones, Monogram, Initials, Service Years and Post Number

We proudly present our exclusive
Military Birthstone watches, to honor
those who have served our Country in the
U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps,
Coast Guard, Merchant Marines and Seabees.

The special dial is minted like a fine coin and
captures every fine detail of your Service
Branch Emblem. A genuine diamond is set
at 12 O'clock.

iaays.

^ank You priced at just $125*, an
affordable payment plan is available with
i no interest. This fine watch is designed by
md created exclusively for Veterans
Commemoratives™. It is not sold

As a final touch of exclusivity, your
watch back will be engraved with
your initials, years of service and Post
Number along with a monogram of
your choice on the band, below the
dial. The watch is delivered to you in a handsome
i gift box - perfect for Father's Day, Birthdays
and Holidavs.

The unique dress bracelet is customized
with four brilliant birthstones and your
personal monogram. The golden
watch bezel, with etched roman
numerals frames the dial, and touches
of genuine 24 Karat Gold complete

The precision quartz watch I
movement keeps accurate time I
within seconds per month, and 1
provides years of dependable service.

b'f W- ^k

SELECT YOUR BIRTHSTONE ABOVE AND ENTER CHOICE ON ORDER FORM.

R FASTEST SERVICE CALL TOLL FREE TO ORDER:

JL w \J \J\J w *

in stores. Your satisfaction is
guaranteed 100% or return within 30
1 days for a refund or replacement.

5} So, order today with confidence.
te*f You have earned the right to

wear this unique watch as a
permanent reminder of your special
place in history.

Mon - Fri from 9am - 5pm EST Have Credit Card ready when ordering.

mail to: Veterans Commemoratives™ Watch Order Center
Two Radnor Corp. Ctr., Suite 120, Radnor, PA 190874599

□ YES. I wish to order a Diamond Service Branch Watch
featuring my Birthstone and Monogram, as follows:
□Army DNavy □ Air Force □ Marine Corps DCoast Guard
□ Merchant Marine (not shown) □ Seabee (not shown)

BIRTHSTONE MONTH ( 1 ) : MONOGRAM ( 1 ) :

INITIALS DESIRED (3): YRS. SERVED: to T

POST NUMBER:

I WISH TO PAY AS FOLLOWS:

□ Enclosed is my check or money order for $125* per watch payable
to "Veterans Commemoratives" as payment in full, OR

□ Charge my credit card $125* per watch as payment in full, OR

□ Charge my credit card in four monthly installments of $31.25* each.
* Plus $14.95 per watch for engraving, shipping & handling. PA residents add 6% sales tax ($8.40).

CREDIT CARD:

□VISA □ MASTER CARD CAMEX ^DISCOVER

CC#:_

. exp._

_/_

SIGNATURE:

SHIPPING ADDRESS (We CANNOT ship to P.O. Boxes)Allow 4-6 weeks for delivery.

Name:

Address:.
City:

. State:_

.Zip,

Phone # (_

. Email: .

FOR OTHER FINE MILITARY WATCHES & RINGS VISIT VETERANS COMMEMORATIVES ™ ONLINE AT VETCOM.COM

contents

5 Vet Voice

8 Commander's
Message

10 Big Issues

12 Living Well

16 Veterans Update

50 Rapid Fire

64 Comrades

68 Parting Shots

December 2011 • Vol. 171, No. 6

18 The Big Chill

Russia's claims to the Arctic
have the attention of the
United States and its allies.

By Alan W. Dowd

24 Hometown Hero

Dakota Meyer, the newest
Medal of Honor recipient, joins
a select group of Americans.

By James V. Carroll

30 Tapped

If spending cuts and higher
taxes are both off the table,
Congress cannot solve

the deficit crisis. ByRonHaskins

ON THE COVER

38 Hallowed Waters

Seventy years after the
"day of infamy/' Pearl Harbor
remains an active military
base and a monument to a
titanic struggle.

Story and photos by Floyd K. Takeuchi

48 My America

Father Karl-Albert Lindblad,
Navy chaplain

The American Legion Magazine, a leader among national general-interest publications, is published monthly by The American Legion for
its 2.4 million members. These wartime veterans, working through 14,000 community-level posts, dedicate themselves to God and
Country and traditional American values; strong national security; adequate and compassionate care for veterans, their widows and
orphans; community service; and the wholesome development of our nation's youth.

Attention Victims of Asbestos-Related

MESOTHELIOMA

Trusted attorneys
Fellow veterans

Your best choic
in a time of need.

EXPERIENCE

We have over 20 years of experience successfully
representing veterans stricken by asbestos-
related mesothelioma.

SERVICE

Unlike other mesothelioma lawyers, we
are veterans who share your values and are
personally committed throughout your case.

RESULTS

Unparalleled track record securing millions of

dollars to help veterans pay for healthcare and
support their families.

COMMITMENT:

We offer free, no-obligation consultation

nationwide, and do not expect compensation
until your suit has succeeded.

Call 1-888-802-MESO (6376)

FOR A NO OBLIGATION CONSULTATION.

205 Portland Street • Boston, MA 021 14 • E-Mail: info@coadylaw.com

C D ADY

LAW

FIRM

Credit Card Debt?

Solutions that can help you get out of debt.

Tom Hill

CGA STAFF WRITER

Every three minutes another person falls behind
on credit card debt. It's no wonder, since every
major credit card company has nearly doubled the
minimum monthly payment on consumers' bills.
Federal Regulators forced the change because of
their concern about the growing mountain of
consumer debt, which stands at $2.17 trillion.
Many consumers can only pay the minimum
payment, which can take up to 30 years to pay off.
Now, relief is in sight for millions of Americans.

U.S. CREDIT CARD DEBT PER HOUSEHOLD ($)

(Data Source: U.S. Federal Reserve)

CreditGUARD of America, a non-profit licensed
debt management service provider, is making a new program available to lower debt payments
and become free of all credit card debt in only three to five years. Consumers need only $2,000
or more in total credit card debt and at least 30 days behind on any account, to cut their payment
by 35% to 50%, and reduce or eliminate interest charges altogether.

Over 200,000 families, located throughout the U.S. have regained financial independence with
CreditGUARD' s licensed, bonded and insured service. CreditGUARD of America has received
high marks in consumer surveys showing high consumer satisfaction and confidence. The
CreditGUARD debt management program can lower your monthly payments by hundreds and
save you thousands!

One such case is Sandra L. who proclaimed "CreditGUARD cut my monthly payment by $656
and saved me over $29,206.53 in interest. They saved my way of life and gave me back my
piece of mind! Now I can see myself on my way to becoming debt free. " or Jeffrey C. who
said "CreditGUARD of America helped me consolidate 3 of my credit cards into one afford-
able payment. They are now saving me nearly $200 a month. Now I will be debt free in 2
years or less"

Certified Credit Counselors at CreditGUARD of America provide Debt Relief Consultations at
no charge, when you call 1-800-473-3047. Calculate your interest rate savings instantly online when
you visit their website at: www.creditguard.org/al

Official United States legal tender...

Get all twenty Presidential
Dollars from 2007-2011!

Each minted for 3 months, then never again...

The popular Statehood quarters have ended, and savvy collectors are now assembling
the exciting Presidential dollar series, which began in 2007. Four presidents are honored
per year in order of service, with each issue minted for 3 months, then never again!

Don't miss out - you'll own complete 4-coin year sets from the first 5 years of the
series, including the popular Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln dollars. And each
dollar will be in collector-preferred Uncirculated condition!

BIG SAVINGS and FREE GIFT!

Get your 20-coin set today for ONLY $29.95 and SAVE 56% off the regular price,
plus Free Shipping. Order by deadline and also get a FREE Uncirculated 2-coin set
of 2010 P&D cents with first-year-of -issue Shield reverse! You'll also receive our fully
illustrated catalog, plus other fascinating selections from our Free Examination
Coins-on- Approval Service, from which you may purchase any or none of
the coins - return balance in 15 days - with option to cancel at any time.
Mail coupon today or order online at: www.LittletonCoin.com/specials

FREEGift!

Uncirculated 2010 P&D Mint
Lincoln Cents -first with the
Union Shield Reverse design!

I Special Offer for New Customers Only

! I»7l VCCI p l ease sen d me the 20-Coin Uncirculated Presidential

I 1X3 I C J ! Dollar Set of 2007-201 1 for only $29.95 - regularly

i $6&50 plus Free Shipping. Also send my FREE Uncirculated 2-Coin

i Set of 2010 P&D Lincoln Shield Cents (one per customer, please).

i Method of payment:

1 □ Check payable to Littleton Coin Co.

[ □ VISA □ MasterCard □American Express □ Discover Network

Order Deadline: 12:00 Midnight, December 31, 2011

45-Day Money Back |, [
Guarantee of Satisfaction

Add a Custom Presidential
Dollar Display Folder and
SAVE 28% at $2.50 each

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

_Apt#_

How Many Sets (limit 5): _.

Total Cost® $29.95 per set: $.

Add a Custom Presidential
Dollar Display Folder &
SAVE 28% at $2.50 each: $.

Shippings Handling:

Total Amount: $

Please send coupon to: Qgp^ 2FP400

. 40^ Li'lt teton 1 309 ML Eustis Road
r«n c^wrr^v Littleton NH 03561 -3737

America's Favorite Coin Source • trusted since 1945

THE AMERICAN •

Legion

{ J MAGAZINE

NATIONAL COMMANDER
PUBLISHER
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

EDITOR
MANAGING EDITOR
ASSISTANT EDITOR
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR/
OPERATIONS
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
ASSISTANT WEB EDITOR
ASSISTANT WEB EDITOR
WEB MANAGER

ART DIRECTOR
DESIGNER
PHOTO EDITOR

PRODUCTION MANAGER

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Fang A. Wong

The American Legion
William M. Justis

JeffStoffer
Matt Grills
Laura Edwards

Brandy Ballenger
Joyce Cole

Steve Brooks
Andrew Romey
Cameran Richardson
Jacob Piercy

Holly K. Soria
Carolyn R.West
James V. Carroll

Tony Heath

Alan W. Dowd

THE AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE COMMISSION
CHAIRMAN
VICE CHAIRMAN
COMMANDER'S
REPRESENTATIVE
CONSULTANT

Dennis J. HenkemeyerBag/ey,/w/v
James H. Hall Hopewell, NJ

Terry D. Lewis Philadelphia
Albert W. Coughlin Park Ridge, IL
Robert A. Corrigan Bronx, NY
MEMBERS Henry Adams Douglasville, GA

Roger H. Anderson South Windsor, CT
James F. Angell Sedro Woolley, WA
Rodger A. Bennett Thawville, IL
Henry P. Bradley North Quincy, MA
Bettylou Evans Laurel, DE
Dennis E. Fritz Columbus Junction, IA
Paul M. Kennedy Pittsburgh, PA
Roy L. Kirkham Minden,LA
James J. Leyser Fresno, CA
John J. Michalski New Carlisle, IN
Silas M. Noel Frankfort, KY
George J. Sinkewitz Huntington, WV
Jerry Smith Trussville, al
Edwin R. Strain Batesville, AR
Carl Swisher Columbus, OH
David R. Walkup OklahomaCity
Frank C.Ward Greer, SC
Danny Wiley Leavenworth, KS

NEC LIAISON
COMMITTEE

Floyd W. Turner Chairman, Birminghai
James V. Bynum Brinkley,AR
Andrew W. Johnson Honolulu
Henry S. Long Fairborn, OH

ADVERTISING

advertising director Diane Andretti

ASSISTANT
ADVERTISING MANAGER
ADVERTISING ASSISTANT
CONTACT

ADVERTISING SALES

NEW YORK
DETROIT
CHICAGO
LOS ANGELES

Amanda A. Harpenau
Chris Elliot
The American
Legion Magazine
P.O. Box 7068
Indianapolis, IN 46207
James G. Elliott
Company Inc.

(212) 588-9200
(248) 530-0300
(312)236-4900

(213) 624-0900

Copyright 2011 by The American Legion
The American Legion (ISSN 0886-1234) is published monthly
by The American Legion, 5745 Lee Road, Indianapolis, IN 46216.
Periodicals postage paid at Indianapolis, IN 46204 and additional
mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The American Legion,
Data Services, P.O. Box 1954, Indianapolis, IN 46206.
Canada Post International Publications Mall (Canadian Distribution)
Sales Agreement No. PM40063731. Return Undeliverable
Canadian Addresses to: Station A, P.O. Box, Windsor ON N9A 6J5.
Re-entered second-class mail matter at Manila Central Post Office
dated Dec. 22,1991.

Printed in USA

Member Audit Bureau of Circulations

The Magazine for a Strong America

HOW TO CONTACT US

For assistance with membership record verification,
membership applications, change of address,
notification of member death or changes to magazine
or Dispatch subscriptions, contact customer service.
CUSTOMER (317)860-3111
service cs@legion.org

The American Legion

Data Services

P.O.Box 1954

Indianapolis, IN 46206
For change of address by mail, attach old address
label, provide new address and membership number.

NATIONAL
HEADQUARTERS

AMERICAN LEGION
MAGAZINE
EMAIL
TELEPHONE
WEBSITE
SUBSCRIPTIONS

(317) 630-1200

700 N. Pennsylvania St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
P.O.Box 1055
Indianapolis, IN 46206
magazine@legion.org
(317) 630-1298
www.legion.org
Free with membership
Non-members: $15
Foreign: $21

Post-sponsored and widows: $6
Single copies: $3.50

MEMBERSHIP IN THE AMERICAN LEGION

Veterans who served at least one day of active military duty
during wartime, or are serving now, are potentially eligible
for membership in The American Legion. Members must
have been honorably discharged or still serving honorably.
eligibility Aug 2, 1 990 - current

Dec. 20,1989 -Jan. 31, 1990
Aug. 24, 1982 -July 31, 1984
Feb. 28,1961 - May 7, 1975
June 25, 1950-Jan.31, 1955
Dec. 7, 1941 - Dec. 31, 1946
April 6, 1917 -Nov 11, 1918
(Merchant Marines who served
from Dec. 7, 1941 to Dec. 31, 1946,
are also eligible.)
Membership Division
ia@legion.org
(317) 630-1321
www.legion.org

PROGRAM CONTACT INFORMATION

(202) 861-2700
var@legion.org
202.861.2700
econ@legion.org
(800) 504-4098
familysupport@legion.org
(317) 630-1384
cfa@cfa-inc.org
www.legion.org/flag
LEGION RIDERS (317)630-1265

www.legion.org/riders
wsloan@legion.org
(317) 630-1249
jquinlan@legion.org
www.legion.org/baseball
BOYS NATION (317)630-1207

mbuss@legion.org
(317)630-1249
cshort@legion.org
(317)630-1249
cshort@legion.org
(703) 908-6250

heroestohometowns@legion.org
(877) 699-2654
www.usaa.com/legion

SCHOLARSHIPS & CHARITABLE TRUSTS

DATES OF
MILITARY
SERVICE

TO JOIN

VETERANS AFFAIRS
& REHABILITATION
ECONOMIC

FAMILY SUPPORT
NETWORK
CITIZENS FLAG
ALLIANCE

AMERICAN LEGION
BASEBALL

JUNIOR
SHOOTING SPORTS
NATIONAL
ORATORICAL CONTEST
HEROES TO
HOMETOWNS
USAA

AMERICAN LEGACY
SCHOLARSHIP
AMERICAN LEGION
ENDOWMENT FUND
CHILD WELFARE
FOUNDATION
NATIONAL
EMERGENCY FUND

(317) 630-1212
cgraybiel@legion.org
(317) 630-1202

(317) 630-1202
www.cwf-inc.org
(317) 630-1376
ia@legion.org

AMERICAN LEGION MERCHANDISE

ORDER PLACEMENT (888) 453-4466

and catalog emblem.legion.org
requests emblem@legion.org

AMERICAN LEGION FAMILY

AMERICAN LEGION (317)569-4500

auxiliary www.legion.org/auxiliary
SONSOFTHE (317) 630-1200
American legion www.legion.org/sons

'Reversal of Fortune'

Regarding the article by Alan
Dowd (October), China is forcing a
U.S. manufacturer to relocate to the
country to gain reliable access to rare
earths. The U.S. government should
barter domestically pumped oil for
Chinese-mined rare earths, and soon.
The government would import the
supply of rare earths and make them
available to domestic manufacturers.
The barter would also help to
normalize trade relations between
the United States and China.

- David E. Davis, Los Angeles

Will Afghanistan make the
most of its strategic resources?
The article goes on to answer
that question. Corruption,
instability, and lack of infra-
structure and the rule of law
make development impossible.
The British pulled out, the
Soviet Union pulled out, and
the United States and NATO are
in the process. Afghanistan is
the "graveyard of empires,"
and no one living today will
see drastic improvement. The
only resource developed in
this cradle of conflict will be
opium poppies.

- David Barth, Newport Beach, Calif.

'The War Within, Part II'

The article by Steve Brooks
(October) made me think,
"Thank God that the wife of a
serviceman had more guts than
VA!" For years now, I've been
telling anyone who would listen
about how pure-oxygen inhalers
and hyperbaric oxygen therapy
have helped return faculties lost
through the trauma of stroke -
as discussed in several alterna-
tive-medicine newsletters - and
that these same treatments
would probably help victims of
PTS and TBI as well.

Unfortunately, I have to
assume that my comments fell

on deaf ears, as our broken war-
riors are still being fed pills to
fix their problems. Hopefully,
VA administrators will take a
long look at this treatment. If
they can pay benefits for
diabetes under the Agent
Orange umbrella, this should be
a no-brainer.

- Jim Howe Jr., Rutledge, Ala.

This article is a solid testi-
mony for the use of hyperbaric
oxygen therapy for reversing
damage to brain tissue, whether
due to TBI, PTS or some other
post-concussion syndrome.

In 2003, I experienced a
reversible ischemic neurologic
deficit (RIND), a hemorrhage of
the brain that was determined
to be service-connected. But
following my discharge from
the hospital, I experienced
periods of imbalance, or ataxia,
requiring me to carry a cane at
all times.

Doctors recommended HBOT.
I had several one-hour treat-
ments at a hyperbaric oxygen
chamber in Sedona, Ariz., that
accommodates 12 people at a
time. I am planning another
course of treatments because
my ataxia is now less frequent
and less severe.

- Benjamin K. Souler, Prescott, Ariz.

DECEMBER 2011 | THE AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE

I applaud the movement to
reference the residuals of war as
"PTS," and drop the "D." Most of
us in the PTS club of comrades
have done so for years.

One caveat: as a former
veterans service officer, we
should be ever so vigilant about
the effect of "steering." One
cannot alter Title 38, which
drives the disability-claims
process, with a congressional
hearing. But there is a movement
to redefine "anxiety disorder" in
the Diagnostic Statistical Manual
of Psychiatry. If you drop the
"D," it no longer fits the criteria
and thus is not compensable.

Removing the stigma is
laudable. Just know that the
bean counters are elated.

- Mike Brewer, Apple Volley, Colli

'A Commander for Everybody'

In Matt Grills' article (Octo-
ber), National Commander Fang
Wong relates the inspiration he
drew from receiving an Ameri-
can Legion School Award Medal
many years ago. I was pleased to
receive such a medal in Windsor,
Colo., in 1944. Until now, I had
never heard any more about the
award. I hope all Legion posts
are aware of this opportunity.
These medals not only promote
the ideals of the Legion, but
also win the gratitude of the
recipient for a lifetime.

- Robert Boreis, Morshfield, Mo.

Afghanistan pullout

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher is
right on target with getting our
young men and women out of
Iraq and Afghanistan (Big Issues,
October). Both my sons are
Marines and served in Iraq.

One is fine, but the other suffers
from PTS daily. Afghanistan
and Iraq have been tribal
societies for 2,000 years, and
our presence will not change
that. The cost of these two
wars, in loss of life and of those
who return with physical and
mental injuries, is not worth
the feeble attempt at democracy
in these two countries.

-John J. Dindo, Mobile, Mo.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher says
that Afghanistan is in the middle
of an arc of chaos extending
from Central Asia through the
Middle East and into Africa. No
mention of California. Get the
troops out, and do it now.

- Gordon Simpkins, Jacksonville, Flo.

As an independent who leans
to the left and who admires Rep.
James Clyburn, I cannot find
anywhere in his commentary a
reason for not pulling out of
Afghanistan. His statements
appear to be purely political.

- Bev Jordan, Lynchburg, Vo.

Rep. James Clyburn does a
good job of explaining South
Carolina's military contributions,
but he says nothing at all to
support his opposition to an
immediate pullout from Afghani-
stan. I hope one day he'll under-
stand that the way to a veteran's
vote isn't through feel-good
statements about how much you
support veterans. Most
of us respond well to politicians
who explain their positions
rather than distract us with a
discussion about their apprecia-
tion of our service.

- Bonnie Mottingly Odessa, Del.

'Tunnels and Terror'

Sen. Dianne Feinstein is
concerned about the national-
security implications of tunnels
found under our southern border
(Rapid Fire, October). But that
does nothing to address the
root of the problem: the free
availability of shovels in the
border states, and the unrestrict-
ed flow of those shovels into
Mexico. Why isn't she calling
for shovel registration, and
reporting of multiple shovel
purchases? If we were talking
about guns instead of shovels,
she certainly would.

-JoeFilice, Wouchulo, Flo.

VA's care for women top-notch

After receiving my October
issue, I was upset to see another
letter from a reader indicating
the bad experiences she, as a
woman, has had with VA.

I am a 50-percent-disabled
veteran. I served honorably for
eight years in the Marine Corps.
I became ill on active duty in
1986, but I did not choose to
seek medical care from VA until
1991. I enrolled at the Fresno,
Calif., facility, and then the
Kansas City, Mo., facility for
the past five years. At both
hospitals, I've received nothing
but the highest quality of care. It
is my desire that a few who have
had bad experiences do not taint
those who are seeking, or have
yet to seek, care.

-MouriJeon Wills, Weotherby Mo.

Correction: In the November
issue's convention coverage,
Patriot Award recipient Greg
Gadson should have been
identified as a colonel.

THE AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE WELCOMES YOUR OPINIONS

Include your hometown and a daytime phone number for verification. All letters published are subject to editing.
Due to the volume of mail received, not every letter can be acknowledged.
The American Legion Magazine, P.O. Box 1055, Indianapolis, IN 46206
magazine@legion.org

g THE AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2011

1^1^. USAA is proud to be the

§r %| Preferred Provider

of Insurance and Financial Services
U ^ AA to Tne American Legion

Only one kind of auto insurance is earned once, but
may be handed down from generation to generation.

At USAA, our commitment to serve the financial needs of our military,
veterans of all ranks who have honorably served and their eligible family
members is without equal. It's why we save members $450 a year
on average* when they switch to USAA Auto Insurance.

Begin your legacy. Get a quote.
1-877-699-2654 | usaa.com/legion

Insurance Banking Investments Retirement Advice

USAA'

We know what it means to servef

USAA means United Services Automobile Association and its insurance, banking, investment and other companies.

"Average Annual Savings based on countrywide survey of new customers from 10/1/09 to 9/30/10, who reported their prior insurers' premiums when they switched to USAA.
Savings do not apply in MA.

Use of the term "member" does not convey any legal, ownership or eligibility rights for property and casualty insurance products. Ownership rights are limited to eligible policyholders of United
Services Automobile Association. The term "honorably served" applies to officers and enlisted personnel who served on active duty, in the Selected Reserve or National Guard and have a discharge
type of "Honorable." Eligibility may change based on factors such as marital status, rank or military status. Contact us to update your records. Adult children of USAA members are eligible to purchase
auto or property insurance if their eligible parent purchases USAA auto or property insurance. Property and casualty insurance products are available to current and former military members and
their former dependents who meet certain membership eligibility criteria. To find out if you are eligible, contact USAA. Underwriting restrictions apply. Automobile insurance provided by United
Services Automobile Association, USAA Casualty Insurance Company, USAA General Indemnity Company, Garrison Property and Casualty Insurance Company, USAA County Mutual Insurance Company,
San Antonio, TX, and is available only to persons eligible for P&C group membership. Each company has sole financial responsibility for its own products. © 2011 USAA. 131459-1211

COMMANDER'S MESSAGE

A thousand stories of troop support to tell

Passionate, active involvement with U.S. military personnel is so
embedded in The American Legion's culture, we don't even think about
it anymore. Unfortunately, too many others don't think about it either.
When I tell Department of Defense officials and Family Readiness
Groups what the Legion does to assist men and women in uniform,
along with their families, too often I hear the response, "I had no idea
the Legion did that."

That is why I have directed National Headquarters staff to create a
special email account - troopsupport@legion.org - for Legion members
and supporters to send examples of all they do to support those cur-
rently serving. Submissions may be published in Legion national media,
or included in reports and testimony in Washington. I am confident we
have 1,000 or more stories of Legion troop support to tell.

Across the country, Legionnaires humbly conduct a wide variety of
meaningful activities for the military community, from job fairs to
demobilization briefings, from Family Support Network volunteerism to
the delivery of Temporary Financial Assistance cash grants. The Le-
gion's list of grass-roots military-support initiatives varies from place to
place, depending on proximity to bases and the size and composition of
the community. Efforts include posts that have adopted National Guard
or reserve units, coordination of Heroes to Hometowns programs, and
military-funeral security provided by American Legion Riders. With the
holidays now upon us, it's a safe bet that at this very minute a Legion-
naire near you is filling gift boxes, buying phone cards, planning a
welcome-home dinner or baby-sitting for a military spouse. Every
gesture matters. We know what we do. Others, however, do not.

A recent Pentagon report identified 13 community-based organizations
around the country that collectively represent a "groundswell of sup-
port" for those serving in uniform, veterans and their families. The
Legion, which has been a leader in troop support worldwide for more
than 90 years, was noticeably absent from the list. I asked around about
this and discovered that many in DoD, including some top officials,
simply are not aware of all that the Legion does.

DoD and VA have an understandable concern, with so many different
organizations wanting to help military families or newly discharged
veterans. That concern is coordination. Former Chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen described a "chasm" he says exists
between the military and civilian communities. And former Defense
Secretary Robert Gates said "DoD cannot do it alone" when military
personnel or newly discharged veterans need help.

Transition assistance and military support are among the most
important values of the Legion. And, with nearly 14,000 local posts, no
organization is better positioned to provide direct assistance or to
coordinate community efforts. Modesty may be a virtue, but the effec-
tiveness of Legion troop-support programs is a story we need to tell at
the local, state and national levels. The troops and families we seek to
serve need to know that the Legion indeed does all of this.

National Commander
Fang A. Wong

MEMORANDA

IN YOUR OWN WORDS

The American Legion's website
now offers a place for creative
work. Poems, songs, fiction,
nonfiction, art and photography
can be posted online. Submissions
are carefully reviewed for
appropriateness and may be
subject to editing.

www.legion.org/yourwords

"I SERVE WITH PRIDE"

During the 2011-2012 membership
year, National Commander Fang
Wong will award his "I
Serve With PRIDE" pin to
any Legion family member
who signs up eight

members These can be C vmKwt» ~"k
any combination of new^^^^^^p^^-
members, members who
transfer from their department
headquarters post, or current
members who renew.
The incentive program will end
June 30, 2012, or when supplies
are exhausted. Certification forms
are online.

www.legion.org/commander

FREE BRANCH- OF-SER VICE PIN

Those who join the Legion online
will receive a free pewter branch-
of-service pin.

www.legion.org/join

THE AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2011

FOR GUARANTEED CHRISTMAS DELIVERY
1-866-768-6517 • www.bradfordexchange.com/10488

My dear gnmddmtgkter, you are

J?''t*u<ftf n U fifucr t You a rc

Genuine Diamond Bracelet
Lavishly Plated with Sterling Silver and 24K Gold

Celebrate the special relationship between you and your
granddaughter with a beautiful reminder of the love
you share — the "Always in My Heart" Granddaughter
Diamond Bracelet. Exquisitely hand-crafted in an
exclusive design, the bracelet features two precious
hearts — an open heart representing Grandmother and
a smaller Granddaughter heart, both plated in sterling
silver with 24K-gold-plated accents. A solitaire diamond
sparkles at the center of the Granddaughter heart.

The two hearts also serve as a lovely way to open and
close the bracelet that is sized to fit most wrists. Finely
engraved inside are two tiny 24K-gold plated hearts and
the message: "My Dear Granddaughter, You are always
in my Heart."

Exceptional Value...
Order Today!

Complete with a jewelry pouch, gift box and Certificate of
Authenticity, it's a remarkable value at just $89*, payable
in four convenient monthly installments of $22.25, and
backed by our unconditional 120-day guarantee. To
order yours, send no money now; just fill out and send
in the Reservation Application. But don't delay as this is
a limited-time offer!

www.bradfordexchange.com/10488

Actual size

Stunning hearts symbolically link with a simple clasp,
so you can easily open and close your bracelet

LIMITED-TIME OFFER

Reservations will be accepted on a
first-come, first-served basis.

So please respond as soon as
possible to reserve your bracelet.

RESERVATION APPLICATION SEND NO MONEY NOW

— JEWELRY

9345 Milwaukee Avenue • Niles, IL 60714-1393

YES. Please reserve the "Always in My Heart"
Granddaughter Diamond Bracelet for me as
described in this announcement.

Mrs. Mr. Ms.

ORDER PROMPTLY FOR
CHRISTMAS DELIVERY

Sales subject to product availability
and credit approval.

Name (Please Print Clearly)

Address

City

State

Zip

Email (optional)

01-1 0488-001 -E94991

BIG ISSUES

Reduce the Pentagon's budget

SUPPORT

Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif.

■ Woolsey is a member of the
Congressional Progressive Caucus.

OPPOSE

Rep. J. Randy Forbes, R-Va.

■ Forbes is chairman of the House
Armed Services Readiness
Subcommittee.

Certain U.S. defense expenditures unquestion-
ably need robust funding: our active-duty service-
members deserve competitive pay, generous
benefits and the most state-of-the-art equipment to
keep them safe. And we absolutely must make
good on our long-term promise
to our nation's veterans for
their courage and sacrifice.

But even with these items off
the table, there's plenty of fat
to trim. The "base" Depart-
ment of Defense budget weighs
in at more than half a trillion
dollars. Amazingly, that

doesn't include the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.
Even adjusting for inflation, Pentagon spending
has increased every year since 1998, and is now
higher than it was at the height of the Cold War.

My Congressional Progressive Caucus colleagues
and I have proposed a budget that includes huge
defense savings - without compromising our
national security. We believe that in addition to
ending the wars responsibly, we can cut hundreds
of billions of dollars over the next several years by
terminating several obsolete weapons systems,
including variations of the F-35, the Expeditionary
Fighting Vehicle and the V-22 Osprey.

There's more we can do, like cracking down on
scandalous overbilling by defense contractors,
cutting missile defense and dramatically reducing
our nuclear arsenal. Why do we need several
thousand warheads when just one is enough to
annihilate civilization? And 20 years after the fall
of the Soviet Union, does it make sense to have
80,000 troops stationed in Europe?

The Pentagon, notorious for bureaucratic ineffi-
ciency and poor budget discipline, has had sacred-
cow status for too long. It doesn't deserve a blank
check while other programs, that provide security
at home, look for change in the couch cushions.

THE HEART OF THE ISSUE

Ongoing debates about the U.S. deficit
have fed to a renewed push for massive
cuts to the defense budget. Critics say the
results would be a million jobs lost, broken
promises to the military and veterans,
and weakened national security.

President Obama recently proposed reducing
the national deficit by "civilianizing" the hard-
earned benefits of veterans. Such changes would
include enrollment fees for TRICARE For Life, a
restructuring of pharmacy benefits to mirror
civilian coverage, and a
BRAC-style commission to
recommend sweeping
changes to the military
retirement system. The net
effect of these proposals will
be generations of service-
members who question our
commitment to national
defense and the people who provide it.

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta has warned
that if looming trillion-dollar cuts to national
security are enacted, the nation will see another
1.53 million jobs lost. Even if he overstated the
devastation by nearly 70 percent, the United
States would still face a half-million newly
unemployed citizens. The threat of a late pay-
check during a government shutdown will pale in
comparison to the prospect of joining the rolls of
the unemployed, where Iraq and Afghanistan
veterans already face a jobless rate of 22 percent.

For those who continue in military service, the
outlook is not brighter. Tuition assistance will be
cut, DoD school funding will be slashed, grocery
costs will rise, and many quality-of-life programs
will cease. Even worse, a smaller force will mean
our troops will spend less time at home and more
time deployed.

Those who have sacrificed for our nation
deserve better. Congress would be wise to reject
the long-term damage these cuts would inflict not
just on veterans, servicemembers, and their
families, but on the future viability of the volun-
teer force that is the foundation of the greatest
military in the world.

CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS

The Honorable (name), U.S. Senate, Washington, DC 20510 • Phone: (202) 224-3121

The Honorable (name), U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515 • Phone: (202) 225-3121

10 THE AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2011

(fleecy insidey

Charcoal

Watch the game or take a nap!

You get the softness, comfort, and fleecy!

I /

~fiiv. ^rl? x warmth of a sweatshirt — inside & out!

x — os tooJLr~

Handsome enough to wear out to dinner, V
too. Neat collar, front pocket with eyeglass lj
loop, & 4-button front for on/off ease.
Banded bottom for a relaxed fit. Made
of easy-care polyester/cotton for quick
wash and dry. This special offer
won't last, order today!

^ Cantfed Bottom*

1013333 gQfi(G3

you buy^2

2 for 25.98

3 for 36.97

Haband #1 Bargain Place, Jessup, PA 18434-1834

Send shirts. I enclose $

purchase price plus $5.99 toward

postage. In GA add sales tax

Regular Sizes: S(34-36)
M(38-40) L(42-44) XL(46-48)
*Big Men ($3 more each):
2XL(50-52) 3XL(54-56) 4XL(58-60)
TALL Sizes ($3 more each): LT(42-44)
XLT(46-48) 2XLT(50-52) 3XLT(54-56)

On-Line Quick Order

Q 7TK-1530M

WHAT
SIZE?

HOW
MANY?

\m CHARCOAL

EE ROYAL

ED BURGUNDY

31] CHAM BRAY

□

VISA

□

DISCOVER

RCheckl

^Sfofi Ovtltrte:
Haband. coml

1/7 J J vy j
Duke Habernickel
#1 Bargain Place,
Jessup, PA 18434-1834

Card #

Exp.: /

Mr. Mrs. Ms.

Address

Apt. #

City & State

Zip

1-800-543-4810

100% Satisfaction Guaranteed or Full Refund of merchadise purchase price.

When you pay by check, you authorize us to use information from your check to clear it electronically. Funds may be withdrawn from
your account as soon as the same day we receive your payment, and you will not receive your check back from your financial institution.

LIVING WELL

Is my exercise
program working?

Taking a brisk walk around the block, raking leaves, or
walking up the stairs instead of riding an elevator can be as
effective as a structured exercise program in improving your
physical activity, heart health and blood pressure.

This is particularly good news if you are mostly sedentary
and lack time for, or access to, a health club or gym, or if you
simply dislike vigorous exercise. But once you do get started,
how do you know that the exercise is working? The early
clues are psychological - you will feel satisfied and gratified
because you have taken control of your health, and
ultimately you will feel better about yourself. Beyond that,
you will start to feel better physically, says Steven Jonas,
professor of preventive medicine at the School of Medicine
at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.
Here are a few ways to check how well you are doing:

■ Walk up a flight of stairs. If you no longer huff and puff,
you know that your body is responding.

■ Walk a six-block loop in your neighborhood and see
how long it takes. As you do it regularly, look to improve
your time by 10 percent, then 20 percent. When you're going
as fast as you can, don't push the pace, but just lengthen the
walk little by little. Newly released exercise guidelines from
the American College of Sports Medicine suggest 30 to 60
minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, such as brisk
walking, five days per week.

■ Check your heart rate after walking for 10 minutes.

After two to four weeks, your exercising heart rate should be
lower. This is the training effect, and it shows that your heart
is toned and pumping more blood with each beat.

CONDITIONING THE HEART

You need to know two basic terms if you are conditioning
your heart: predicted maximum heart rate and training
range. The predicted maximum heart rate is the highest
number of beats per minute that is safe during any one
exercise period. You can calculate your maximum heart rate
with a simple formula: 220 minus your age.

As you exercise, you must bring your heart rate
into the training range, which is 75 to 80 percent of
the maximum. This is the heart rate that best
conditions the heart. So a 60-year-old with a
predicted maximum heart rate of 160 would have
a training range of 120 to 128 beats per minute.

To monitor your heart rate, wear a
heart-rate monitor on your wrist or
simply time your pulse. The easiest
place to take your pulse during exercise
is at the side of the throat, where the
carotid artery beats forcefully. Place your
index and middle fingers at the base of the
neck on either side of the windpipe and count
your heartbeats for 10 seconds. Multiply this
number by six for the number of heartbeats per
minute. Check whether this rate falls within your
training range.

To tame cholesterol,
rethink the diet rules

BY JUDITH HURLEY

Worried about unruly cholesterol levels? The "portfolio
diet," an approach to lowering cholesterol, is making
headlines. Studies from the University of Canada have
found that this eating plan, which incorporates four key
foods, lowers cholesterol more than the commonly
recommended low-fat diet. Even more impressive, a
small-scale study showed that the portfolio diet lowered
cholesterol as much as a statin drug.

The traditional dietary approach to lowering
cholesterol is a diet low in fat (particularly saturated fat),
but it isn't always successful. A number of foods -
including oat bran, soy and nuts - are known to lower
cholesterol. By itself, each food doesn't have enough
oomph to push cholesterol levels substantially
downward, but University of Toronto nutrition expert
David J.A. Jenkins believes there might be strength in
numbers. He developed a diet that contains several
cholesterol-lowering foods - not just one or two - and
has been testing it for several years.

In a small study, two groups of participants followed
either the portfolio diet or a low-fat diet. A third group
took 20 mg of lovastatin, a cholesterol-lowering statin
drug. To make it easier to stay on the diet, participants in
the groups were provided with most of their food. After a
month, the portfolio-diet group saw an impressive
29-percent drop in low-density lipoprotein (LDL)
cholesterol, similar to the 31-percent drop seen in the
lovastatin group. The low-fat group trailed behind,
with just an 8-percent drop.

In a larger, six-month study reported in JAMA, the
Journal of the American Medical Association in August,

Dietdon'ts

With a new year just around the corner,
New Year's resolutions can't be far behind.

The most common resolutions have to do
losing weight. Chelsea Bush, a fitness writer
for U.S. News & World Report, reminds us
to "choose your diet wisely. For a diet that's
going to yield long-term, healthy results,
steer clear of these attributes."
Restrict too many foods
"A diet that has too many rules spells
trouble. You shouldn't have to cut out
your favorite foods completely - and
doing so can intensify cravings.
That's one reason diets
that strictly limit food
options ... tend to
have higher
dropout rates."

with

THE AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2011

Jenkins and his colleagues pitted the portfolio diet
against a low-fat diet, this time in a real-world setting. The
345 participants, all with elevated cholesterol, received diet
counseling but had to buy and prepare the food on their
own. Though some strayed from the diet, the findings were
notable. The portfolio diet led to a 13-percent decrease in
LDL cholesterol after six months, compared to a 3-percent
decrease for the low-fat diet. Although the cholesterol-
lowering punch of the portfolio diet in the real world is
about half that which statins can deliver, it is still
meaningful. In fact, combining the diet with a statin
could be a smart approach, with the diet helping to draw
the most benefit from the statin.

INSIDE THE PORTFOLIO

Like a good investment plan, the portfolio diet is
diversified. It is a vegetarian diet, built around four types of
foods with cholesterol-lowering bona fides: margarine
enriched with plant sterols, such as Take Control
or Benecor; barley, oats and psyllium (found in
Metamucil), which contain viscous fiber; soy
products, such as soy beverages, tofu, and
soy meat analogues (think veggie burgers); and
nuts, including almonds and peanuts. The diet
also encourages peas, beans and lentils, along
with eggplant and okra, which contain viscous fiber.

A typical day's menu might include
a breakfast of oat-bran cereal topped with
soy milk, chopped fruit and nuts,
and a slice of oat-bran bread
spread with sterol-
enriched margarine and
jam. Lunch might be a soy
hot dog, oat-bran bread,
bean soup and fruit.
Dinner could include

barley with vegetables, tofu and almonds. For a snack, try a
cold glass of soy beverage mixed with Metamucil.

Clearly, following the portfolio diet could take some
getting used to. In the larger head-to-head study, 26 percent
of those following the low-fat diet, and 23 percent of those
following the portfolio diet, dropped out. The remaining
portfolio-diet group adhered to the diet about 40 percent
of the time.

Given that the side effects of statin drugs are mostly
minor, a person might wonder if it is even worthwhile to
make such substantial diet changes. That's something each
individual can best assess in consultation with a doctor.
But some experts point out that any of these food
components can be incorporated into a diet to provide
some benefit, such as swapping a bag of chips for a
handful of almonds. The larger message from the research
is a simple one, though. When it comes to cholesterol,

diet matters, but no single food or dietary habit
is the solution. Instead, a portfolio of
cholesterol-lowering foods may be the
smartest investment.

Judith Hurley is a freelance writer specializing
in medicine and health.

Eliminate entire food groups

"Removing food groups - or worse, entire
macronutrients (carbohydrates, fats and
proteins) - can catch up with you quickly. These
diets eliminate nutrients the body needs to
function optimally."

Change all of your eating habits at once

"You didn't form your habits overnight, so how
can you expect an instant reversal? Better to
start slow, reducing portion sizes and making
simple substitutions like switching to a lower-
calorie bread ... Small changes will help you
avoid diet shock, which can
quickly sour even the
best plan."
Expect too much
prep work
"You still have to make
a commitment to

planning meals in advance ... but following
20-ingredient recipes, or cutting up four apples
a day because it's in the diet, is excessive - and
likely won't help you stay on the wagon."
Rely on prepackaged solutions
"Just as complex food preparation can
be a diet's downfall, so too can oversimplified
preparation ... Programs that hinge on
prepackaged foods can leave you without
an idea of how to prepare healthy meals
on your own."
Seek a magic bullet

"Be wary of diets that promise drastic weight
loss in a short time frame; as a general rule,
healthy weight loss means losing one
to two pounds per week."

DECEMBER 2011 THE AlBCAN LEGO

Living Well is
designed to provide
general information.
It is not intended to
be, nor is it, medical
advice. Readers
should consult their
physicians when
they have heali
problems.

THE OTHER MILKS

BY MICHELLE GIBEAULT TRAUB

Lactose intolerance and a vegetarian diet are two popular reasons for
avoiding milk. Add to that the growing number of individuals with dairy
allergies, and the desire to replace milk becomes an essential for many.
Fortunately, healthy alternatives abound. With just a quick review of the
nutrition label, you can find your ideal choice.

First, focus on calcium (30 percent) and vitamin D (25 percent), two
nutrients that must be replaced if dairy is avoided. Next, review the
saturated-fat and sugar content, to ensure the drink is heart-healthy and
low in calories. Finally, vegetarians should note the protein content,
since their diets may not provide enough. Most dairy alternatives are
nutritious, so the ultimate decision comes down to your taste buds.

Michelle Gibeault Traub is a registered dietitian and health writer.

TYPE OF MILK

Calories (per cup)

Pros

Cons

Where to find it

Cow
(1 percent)

110

A good source of calcium,
vitamin D, riboflavin and
protein (9 g)

Often allergenic; contains lactose,
which is difficult to digest; contains
saturated fat and cholesterol

In the dairy case

Lactose-free

Lactaid
(1 percent)

110

Has all the nutritional benefits
of cow's milk but is easier
to digest for those with
lactose intolerance

Has an unusually sweet flavor;
contains saturated fat; more
expensive than regular milk

In the dairy case

Lactose-free and vegetarian

Rice

(unsweetened: 113)
(sweetened: 130)

Good for those with allergies;
shelf-stable and ideal for travel

Tends to be a bit watery;
low in protein

In aseptic packages
in the natural-foods aisle

Soy

(unsweetened: 80)
(sweetened: 110)

A good source of protein (7g)
and isoflavones, which help
lower cholesterol

Can negatively impact those with
thyroid disease; has a slightly grainy
taste

In aseptic packages
in the natural-foods aisle,
and in the dairy case

Almond

(unsweetened: 40)
(sweetened: 90-100)

No saturated fat or cholesterol;
lower in calories; a good source
of magnesium and vitamin E

Has a creamy consistency;
low in protein

In aseptic packages
in the natural-foods aisle,
and in the dairy case

Hemp

150

Contains the omega-3 fatty
acid ALA, making it good for
reducing inflammation; contains
iron; has a rich, nutty taste

Higher in calories; not readily
available in grocery stores; more
expensive than other options

At health-food stores,
and in aseptic packages in
the natural-foods aisle

Nightcap = no doze?

The nightcap, long considered a way to
"take the edge off" before bedtime, may
actually prevent a good night's sleep,
according to a new study conducted by
Japanese researchers.
HealthDay reports that the team "found
that alcohol increased heart rate and
interfered with the restorative functions of

THE AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2011

sleep - and the more alcohol the participants drank, the
greater the effect."

EEGs reveal what appears to be good sleep in the first
half of the sleep cycle. But the picture changes in the
second half, leading the researchers to conclude that
drinking leads to insomnia. For some, a small drink may
initiate sleep, but large amounts of alcohol "interfere
with sleep quality and the restorative role of sleep."

OVER
900 YEARS OLD!

Actual size is
approx. 17 mm

Struck in silver. Bathed in history.
Ransom for the Holy Grail.

Knights Templar and
Crusaders on a holy quest.

They set out on a legendary

journey. They brought
TB* , back a historic arti-
fact, one of two to
survive to this day
that lays claim to
being the actual
Holy Grail.

What the Crusaders found is
a stunning glass goblet.

It resides today in the main cathedral
in the powerful Italian city-state
of Genoa.

The Crusaders acquired what is
arguably the most coveted object
in history not by means of a bloody
battle or political intrigue.

They paid a ransom for it. Using
900-year-old Italian fine Silver
Denier coins.

The same 900-year-old fine silver
coins used to pay the Crusaders.

The mystery around the Grail
is thick. There is none around
these silver coins.

We don't know where, precisely, the
glass goblet in Genoa was found. Nor
how much ransom was paid in Silver
Crusader coins.We do know that in
the 1 100s, these fine silver coins were
struck in Genoa.

We also know that the vast majority
of authentic medieval Italian Silver
Crusader coins have vanished over
the past 850 years.

When a hoard of 925 fine Silver
Crusader coins came to light in
Switzerland recently, we bought
every last one.

Authenticated and
certified by NGC.

Numismatic Guaranty Corp. (NGC)
is one of the nation's leading inde-
pendent coin grading companies.
They inspected each coin and
deemed them to be Genuine in
every detail.

Each coin was hand struck between
1 139 and 1 152, and features the twin

symbols of the Cross and the Castle,
with the name "Genoa" struck
directly into the coin.

Order now risk free

We urge you to call now. Our supply of
925 fine silver coins won't last long. As
always you are protected by our 30-day
return privilege.

Buy more and SAVE

Because of the historical significance
of these Silver Crusader coins, we
must restrict sales to a maximum of
three per person.

One for only $99.95 + s/h
3 for only $89.95 each +s/h

SAVE $30

Toil-Free 24 hours a day

1-800-721-0383

Offer Code CSS141

Please mention this code when you call.

GovMlNT.COM

YOUR ONE BEST SOURCE FOR COINS WORLDWIDE

14101 Southcross Drive W.

Dept. CSS141
Burnsville, Minnesota 55337

www. GovMint. com

Prices and availability subject to change without notice. Past performance is not a predictor of future performance. Note: GovMint.com is a private distributor
of worldwide government coin issues and is not affiliated with the United States government. Facts and figures were deemed accurate as of June 201 1.
©GovMint.com, 201 1

1 BBB

ACCREDITED
BUSINESS

VETERANS UPD.

For-profit schools devour GI Bill dollars

BY TOM PHILPOTT

Congressional audits, oversight hearings and a
rising tide of news reports have exposed a host of
abusive practices by predatory for-profit schools
that, in effect, rob veterans of their Post-9/11
GI Bill benefits.

The key question now is whether Congress has
the will to stop these practices with new legislative
protections, which are vehemently opposed by the
powerful for-profit education lobby. A second issue
is whether the Department of Veterans Affairs and
advocates for student
veterans can better arm
students against ads and
misinformation intended
to draw them and their
GI Bill benefits into
programs with high costs
and higher washout rates.

Federal education
dollars from Pell Grants,
student loans and military
tuition assistance have
been the lifeblood of the

for-profit education industry. But the passage of
the Post-9/11 GI Bill set off a feeding frenzy, with
the most aggressive sharks gobbling up as many
dollars as they can swallow before the government
finally acts to impose tighter controls.

Data released by the Senate Health, Education,
Labor and Pensions Committee shows that eight of
the top recipients of Post-9/11 GI Bill payments in
the 2010-2011 academic year were for-profit
companies that collected $1 billion, or almost one
quarter, of all program dollars. The average cost to
the government per veteran is $4,874 a year at a
public school vs. $10,875 at a for-profit school.

Though there are reputable for-profit colleges,
the result of the industry boom for many veterans
has been GI Bill benefits wasted - on courses they
lack the educational background to complete,
degrees that fail to impress prospective employers,
and course credits that can't be transferred to fully
accredited colleges and universities.

By the time student vets realize they've been
victimized, much of their GI Bill benefit can be
exhausted. Some even slide into debt, striving to
complete coursework they still feel they need
before starting their civilian careers.

A pair of Senate Democrats, Tom Harkin of Iowa
and Thomas Carper of Delaware, believe the best

Legion calls for stronger oversight

On Oct. 12, the Legion's National Executive
Committee passed Resolution No. 37, expressing
strong support for VA regulations that require
for-profit institutions to be held to the same
standard as nonprofit institutions for approval of
use of VA education benefits. The Legion also
supports additional resources and increased
funding for state approving agencies.
© www.legion.org/resolutions

step to curb abuses by predatory schools would
probably be a modification of something called the
"90/10 rule," found in the Higher Education Act.

The idea is that for-profit education should be
of sufficient quality that at least 10 percent of
total revenue comes from private financing,
not grants or loans from the Department of
Education. In other words, if schools can't attract
even a small number of students or parents willing
to invest their own money, they should be ineli-
gible for federal loans or
grants. Congress initially
set the rule at 85/15, but
for-profit schools success-
fully lobbied Congress in
1998 to relax it. They
continued to press for
further easing when the
Post-9/11 GI Bill provided
a tsunami-sized windfall.

Thanks to a technical
loophole in the law,
for-profit schools can
count GI Bill payments, as well as military tuition
assistance, against the 10 percent of revenues that
must be collected from non-DoE sources. That
means that for every GI Bill recipient enticed to
attend a for-profit school, the school can sign
nine more students who rely entirely on DoE
grants and loans.

Harkin and Carper chair separate Senate sub-
committees, and each has conducted an oversight
hearing to learn how abuses by for-profit schools
might be addressed. Veterans advocates favor a
change to the 90/10 rule so that GI Bill payments
and military tuition-assistance dollars are counted,
like DoE dollars, against the 90-percent ceiling.

That would put for-profit schools at risk if they
can't draw 10 percent of revenues from nonfederal
payments. To improve quality and lower the
enticements schools have to prey on veterans,
Carper said, these for-profit schools need "skin in
the game."

If a bill to modify the 90/10 rule is introduced,
stiff resistance can be expected from an industry
flush with dollars and friends in Congress.

Tom Philpott, a former Coast Guardsman, has
written about veterans and military personnel issues
for more than 30 years.

Ifo THE AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2011

Beautifully
Presented
Your pendant
arrives in a
satin-lined
presentation box
at no extra charge.

Pendant
shown
actual size.

FOR GUARANTEED CHRISTMAS DELIVERY:
1-800-726-1184 • www.danburymint.com

She will always be your pride and joy...

My Daughter
Forever

DIAMOND PENDANT

A beautifully crafted 24kt gold-plated
heart pendant featuring a shimmering
rose and a genuine diamond.

From the day she was born, she has been your treasure. Show
your daughter just how dear she is to you with this breathtak-
ing heart-shaped pendant. She will cherish this graceful symbol
of your love engraved on the back with: "My little girl yesterday
my friend today my daughter forever."

Exquisitely crafted.

This stunning pendant features an exquisite pink rose and four
brilliant green peridot "leaves." A dazzling diamond is nestled
within the rose, just as your daughter is nestled forever in your
heart. Hanging gently from an 18-inch chain, this pendant
beautifully puts into words all that she means to you.

Makes a great gift - order today!

The My Daughter Forever Diamond
Pendant can be yours for $99 plus
$7.50 shipping and service, payable in
three monthly installments of $35.50.
Satisfaction guaranteed. If you are not
delighted, return it within 90 days for
replacement or refund.

For guaranteed Christmas delivery,
call toll-free 1-800-726-1184 or order
online at www.danburymint.com. Don't
delay — order today!

The back is beautifully
engraved with a
loving sentiment.

©MBI

The Danbury Mint
47 Richards Avenue
Norwalk, CT 06857

Yes ! Reserve the My Daughter Forever Diamond Pendant as described
in this announcement.

RESERVATION APPLICATION

Order promptly
for Christmas
delivery.

Signature _

Name .

Address _

City/State/Zip .

Please print clearly.

Orders subject to acceptance.

For guaranteed Christmas delivery: 1-800-726-1184 • www.danburymint.com

75170092E139

The United States and its Arctic allies
aren't about to let Russia gobble up
the region's rich energy reserves.

The United States today
devotes much of its diplomatic
and military resources to the
Middle East, for a very simple
reason: the Middle East is the
source of much of the world's
energy and, not coincidentally,
much of the world's tensions.

But tomorrow's source of
energy reserves and geopolitical
strain may not be in the deserts
and densely populated urban
areas of the Middle East, but the
icy waters and desolate tundra
of the Arctic.

BY ALAN W. DOWD

Supply and Demand. Tensions are simmering in
the Arctic. The United States, Canada, Russia,
Europe and others have all staked claims in its
vast potential.

The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that the
Arctic may hold 1,670 trillion cubic feet of natural
gas and 90 billion barrels of oil - 30 percent of the
world's undiscovered gas and 13 percent of its
undiscovered oil. About a third of the oil is in
Alaskan territory.

These oil and gas deposits were always there,
of course. But today, the cost of extracting them
is increasingly justifiable due to market realities.
Growing demand, along with decreasing and
undependable supplies in the Middle East, are
conspiring to push energy prices upward, which
is encouraging new exploration in the Arctic.
The Energy Information Administration forecasts
a 20-percent increase in global daily oil consump-
tion by 2030, owing largely to demand in China
and India.

Another important factor in the Arctic energy
rush relates to shipping. The fabled Northwest
Passage, once frozen throughout most of the
year, is thawing.

"Opening up the Northwest Passage cuts
4,000 nautical miles off the trip from Europe to
Asia," NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh
Rasmussen observes. "You can bet a lot of
companies have done that math."

a zone of peace and cooperation/' But actions
speak louder than words:

■ Earlier this year, Russia announced plans

to deploy two army brigades - 10,000 troops -
to defend its Arctic claims.

■ U.S. and Canadian fighters intercepted Russian
bombers 45 times between 2007 and 2010, up from
just eight between 1999 and 2006.

■ In 2009, Moscow announced plans to build
a string of military bases along Russia's
northern tier.

■ In 2008, a Russian general revealed plans
to train "troops that could be engaged in
Arctic combat missions," ominously adding,
"Wars these days are won and lost well before
they are launched."

■ During a 2007 expedition, after Russia provoca-
tively planted its flag on the North Pole seabed, the
lead explorer declared, "The Arctic is ours." In
fact, Russia brazenly claimed almost half the
Arctic Circle, and all of the North Pole, in 2001.

It seems that Putin today is far closer to this
view than to his 2010 "zone of peace" promises.
"Russia intends without a doubt to expand its
presence in the Arctic," he recently boasted.
"We are open to dialogue ... but naturally, the
defense of our geopolitical interests will be hard
and consistent." In short, Moscow is signaling
its seriousness about claiming most of the Arctic
as its own.

Zone of Peace? Given the Arctic's vast supply of
energy resources and the world's growing energy
demands, it's neither surprising nor alarming that
Arctic nations are beginning to stake their respec-
tive claims. What is alarming is how one Arctic
nation is going about it.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin ex-
pressed his desire in 2010 "to keep the Arctic as

Fundamental Interests. All of this is getting the
attention of the United States and its Arctic allies.

At the end of the Bush administration, the
United States issued a new Arctic Region Policy,
declaring, "The United States has broad
and fundamental national-security
interests in the Arctic region, and
is prepared to operate either

independently or in conjunction with other states
to safeguard these interests."

Similarly, the Obama administration has
emphasized that "the United States has an
inherent national interest in knowing, and
declaring to others with specificity, the extent
of our sovereign rights with regard to the
U.S. extended continental shelf."

Together, the United States and Canada are
conducting missions to map the continental shelf,
Demarcating the shelf is vital
to determining how the Arctic
pie is divided. As my Fraser
Institute colleague Alex Moens
and I have written elsewhere,
"Russia's outsized Arctic
claims rest on a dubious
interpretation of an underwa-
ter ridge linking to the Russian
landmass. Russia argues that
this ridge is an extension of its
own continental shelf."

Some observers contend that
joining the U.N. Convention on
the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) will help the United
States secure its Arctic claims - and limit Russia's.
Unlike its Arctic neighbors, the United States has
not ratified UNCLOS, even though the treaty has
support in the military and among leaders from
both parties.

"The Arctic is changing," observes Adm. Gary
Roughead, chief of naval operations from 2007 to
2011. "The most important thing is to become
party to the Convention of the Law of the Sea.
If we are not party to that treaty, we will not have
a seat at the table as this unfolds."

Vice President Joe Biden has argued that
UNCLOS "allows us to secure and extend our
sovereign rights." The Bush administration's Arctic
policy called on the Senate to pass the treaty
"promptly." Critics, however, worry that the treaty
could limit U.S. sovereignty and freedom of action.

Zone of Conflict? With or without the treaty, it's
only prudent for the United States and its Arctic
allies to develop some sort of security component to
the Arctic puzzle. "We can't wish away the security
implications," Rasmussen observes. "An entire side
of North America will be much more exposed."

The United States already maintains some
20,000 active-duty forces in Alaska, and conducts
routine exercises in the region. "Northern Edge"
exercises, for example, have featured airborne
drops, close-air support, port security, harbor

We can't wish away the
security implications.
An entire side of North
America will be much
more exposed."

Anders Fogh Rasmussen,

NATO secretary general

defense, supply-route protection, and critical-infra-
structure protection - just the sorts of operations
that might be necessary to keep the Arctic and its
waterways open. But we are not alone.

■ Spurred by Russian adventurism, Canadian
Defense Minister Peter MacKay has talked about
"enlarging the footprint and the permanent . . .
presence we have in the north." Toward that end,
Canada is building new bases and conducting
annual maneuvers to defend its Arctic territories.

"Our government is commit-
ted to protecting and asserting
Canada's presence throughout
our Arctic," Canadian Prime
Minister Stephen Harper
declared in 2010. Assets from
the U.S. Second Fleet, the
Coast Guard and the Danish
navy have joined the Cana-
dian military for Arctic
maneuvers.
■ In 2009, Norway led Arctic
maneuvers that included
13 nations. The scenario:
repel an attack on oil rigs by the fictional country
of "Northland," a thinly disguised euphemism
for Russia.

■ Sweden followed with its own Arctic war games,
featuring 12,000 troops.

■ Norway, Sweden and Finland are developing
what The Economist calls a "Nordic security
partnership" as a hedge against Russian activity in
the Arctic.

■ Denmark is standing up an Arctic military
command, and increasing its military presence
in Greenland.

■ In response to Russia's Arctic claims, made in

a blatant military context, NATO officials envision
a "military presence" in the Arctic, and have point-
edly declared it a region "of strategic interest to
the alliance."

One reason a military presence will be necessary
is the possibility of accidents caused by drilling
and shipping. In addition, competition for Arctic
resources could lead to confrontation. Adm. James
Stavridis, who serves as NATO's military com-
mander, concedes that the Arctic could become
"a zone of conflict."

To brace for that possibility and thwart Russia's
Arctic fait accompli, the United States, Canada,
Denmark and Norway - all of which are NATO
members and Arctic nations - should follow the
Cold War playbook: build up the assets needed to
defend their interests, use those assets to deter

20 THE AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2011

Something you rare
see in an ad for a
cholesterol-lowering medication.
Your liver.

Anyone with active liver disease should not take LIVALO.
Your doctor should do blood tests to monitor your liver function before
starting LIVALO, and then at 12 weeks following the start of LIVALO, after
any increase in dose, and periodically (e.g., every 6 months) thereafter.

Visit www.LivaloRx.com to download a voucher for a free 30-day trial of LIVALO.

LIVALO® is a registered trademark of the Kowa group of companies.

PS73587 LIV-MT-0160

You might be aware that cholesterol is made in the liver. But
did you know approximately 75% of all drugs processed in the
body share a common metabolic pathway in the liver? When
drugs that share this pathway are taken together or with other
drugs that affect this pathway, a drug interaction may occur.
LIVALO® (pitavastatin) reduces your cholesterol, but it's not
dependent on this pathway in order to be processed. Why is
this important? Because knowing how drugs are processed
in the body may help avoid certain interactions.
To learn more about potential drug interactions that may
occur with LIVALO or other medications, talk to your doctor
and ask whether LIVALO may be right for you.
What is LIVALO?

• LIVALO is a prescription medicine that, along with diet,
has been approved for the treatment of high cholesterol.
LIVALO has not been studied to evaluate its effect on
reducing heart-related disease or death.

Drug Interactions with LIVALO

• If you are taking cyclosporine, you should not take LIVALO.

• Caution should be taken when using LIVALO in combination
with other cholesterol drugs like niacin and fibrates, as this
may increase your risk of serious muscle problems.

• Some drugs, like erythromycin and rifampin, may lead to
drug interactions requiring a lower maximum daily dose of
LIVALO, when used in combination.

Important Safety Information for LIVALO®
(pitavastatin) Tablets
Who should NOT take LIVALO?
LIVALO is not right for everyone, including:

• Those who have had an allergic reaction to LIVALO

• Anyone with active liver disease

• Women who are nursing, pregnant, or who may
become pregnant

• Anyone currently taking cyclosporine
What should I talk to my doctor about?

• If you take LIVALO, tell your doctor right away if you
experience any unexplained muscle pain, tenderness,
or weakness, particularly if accompanied by fever or a
general feeling of discomfort. This could be a sign of a
rare but serious side effect.

• Your doctor should do blood tests to monitor your liver
function before starting LIVALO, and then at 12 weeks
following the start of LIVALO, after any increase in dose,
and periodically (e.g., every 6 months) thereafter.

• Please talk to your doctor about your alcohol use.

• Tell your doctor about all the medications you take
including nonprescription medicines, vitamins, or
herbal supplements.

What are the most common side effects of LIVALO?

The most common side effects of LIVALO in clinical
studies were:

• Back pain • Muscle pain

• Constipation • Pain in the legs or arms

• Diarrhea

This is not a complete list of side effects.
Other Important Information about LIVALO

• LIVALO has not been studied to evaluate its effect on
reducing heart-related disease or death.

• LIVALO is available by prescription only.

Please see the accompanying Brief Summary or the Full
Prescribing Information available atwww.LivaloRx.com.
PS73370 LIV-RA-0032 8/2011
What else should I know about LIVALO?

• LIVALO can be taken with or without food. It's even
okay to continue drinking grapefruit juice.

• LIVALO is available in 1-mg, 2-mg, and 4-mg doses.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of
prescription drugs to the FDA.

Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

#Livalo

(pitavastatin) tablets

LIVALO® (pitavastatin) tablets (LIV-ah-lo) - Consumer
Brief Summary Information.

Information for Patients about LIVALO® (pitavastatin)
tablets:

Please read this information carefully before you, or your family
member, start taking LIVALO and each time your prescription is
refilled in case anything has changed or new information has
become available. This information is not meant to take the
place of discussions with your healthcare provider. Talk with
your healthcare provider or pharmacist if there is something
you do not understand or if you want to learn more about
LIVALO. Always follow your healthcare provider's instructions
for taking LIVALO.

What is LIVALO?

• LIVALO is a prescription medicine that belongs to a group
of cholesterol-lowering medicines called "statins".

• LIVALO, along with diet, lowers, total cholesterol, "bad"
cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglycerides. It can also raise
"good" cholesterol (HDL-C).

• The effect of LIVALO on cardiovascular morbidity and
mortality has not been determined.

What is the most important information I should know
about LIVALO?

• Muscle Problems called myopathy and rhabdomyolysis
may occur at any time. Muscle problems may increase
with higher doses, as you get older, with kidney or some
thyroid problems, and when LIVALO is used with some other
medications.

• Liver tests may become abnormal. Your doctor should do
liver tests before you start and while you are taking LIVALO.

Who should NOT take LIVALO?

• Anyone known to be allergic or hypersensitive to LIVALO
or any of its ingredients.

• Anyone who has active liver problems, this may include
some unexplained, abnormal liver test results.

• Women who are pregnant or may become pregnant, or
are nursing mothers.

• Anyone who is taking cyclosporine.

What are the possible side effects of LIVALO?
Serious side effects may include:

• Muscle problems may be an early sign of a rare problem
that could lead to serious kidney problems.

Call your doctor right away if you have any unexplained
muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness, particularly if
accompanied by fever or a general feeling of discomfort.

• Liver problems may occur. Your doctor should do liver
tests before you start and while you are taking LIVALO.

Common side effects include:

• Back pain

• Constipation

• Diarrhea

• Muscle aches and pains

• Pain in the legs or arms

This is not a complete list of side effects of LIVALO. Talk to your
health care professional for a complete list.

Can other medications affect your treatment with LIVALO?
Yes, other medications may affect LIVALO, you should
consult with your doctor if you take any of the following:

• Erythromycin

• Rifampin

• Other drugs for high cholesterol (i.e., fibrates, niacin)

What should I tell my doctor before taking LIVALO?

Tell your doctor if you:

• are allergic to LIVALO or any of its ingredients (You may get
a full list of ingredients from your doctor or pharmacist.)

• are pregnant, think you are pregnant, are planning to
become pregnant, or are breast-feeding.

• are having or have been told you have active liver or
kidney disease.

• are taking other medications. Discuss all medication,
both prescription and over-the-counter, with your doctor.

• consume alcoholic beverages.

How should I store and take LIVALO?

• Store LIVALO at room temperature, in a dry place, protected
from light, and keep out of the reach of children.

• LIVALO can be taken at any time of day, with or without food.

• Swallow the tablet whole. Do not split, crush, dissolve,
or chew.

• If you take too much LIVALO or you or someone else takes an
overdose, call your doctor and/or local Poison Control Center.

The information provided is not complete. Please
see the Full Prescribing Information available at
www.LivaloRx.com.

LIVALO® is a trademark of the Kowa group of companies.
LIVALO is available by prescription only.
Marketed by: Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.
Montgomery, AL 36117 USA and Lilly USA, LLC.
Indianapolis, IN 46285 USA

LIVALO® (pitavastatin) tablets
LIV-RA-0033 -PS73369 08/2011

aggression, and deal with Moscow from a posture
of strength and unity.

The challenge is to remain open to cooperation
while bracing for worst-case scenarios. After all,
Russia is not the Soviet Union. Even as Putin and
his puppets make mischief, Moscow is open to
making deals. Russia and Norway, for instance,
recently resolved a long-running boundary dis-
pute, paving the way for development in 67,000
square miles of the Arctic. Moreover, the United
States, Russia, Canada, Denmark and Norway have
agreed on search-and-rescue responsibilities.

In a world of increasingly integrated markets,
we know that there is much to gain from Arctic
cooperation, and much to lose from a protracted
military standoff. But we also know that dealing
naively with Moscow carries a heavy cost - and
that integration is a two-way street.

"Russian leaders today yearn not for integration,"
the Brookings Institution's Robert Kagan con-
cludes, "but for a return to a special Russian
greatness." In short, Russia is more interested in
recreating the autarky of some bygone era than in
the shared benefits of globalization.

Framework for Partnership. Dealing with Russia is
about power. As Churchill once said of his Russian
counterparts, "There is nothing they admire so
much as strength, and there is nothing for which
they have less respect than for weakness." When
the message is clear - or "hard and consistent," to
use Putin's language - Russia will take a coopera-
tive posture. When the message is unclear, Russia
will take what it can get.

Just consider Russia's contrasting treatment of its
neighbors: Moscow blusters about Poland and the
Baltic states, but keeps its hands off, largely
because they are protected by the U.S.-NATO
umbrella. Conversely, Russia bullies Ukraine,
garrisons its troops - uninvited - in Moldova, and
occupies Georgian territory. The common denomi-
nator of these unfortunate countries: they have no
U.S. security guarantee.

Russia should be given an opportunity to partici-
pate as a responsible partner in Arctic develop-
ment. But if Russia continues to take Putin's hard
line, the United States and its allies are left with
few other options than either standing together or
allowing Russia to divide and conquer.

To avoid that, the allies may need to agree
among themselves on lines of demarcation, transit
routes and exploration rights - and then pool their
resources to protect their shared interests. This
will require investment in Arctic capabilities. For

instance, the United States has only three
polar icebreakers, two of which have exceeded
their projected 30-year life span. Russia can
deploy 20 icebreakers. "We have extremely lim-
ited Arctic response capabilities," explains
Adm. Robert Papp, USCG commandant. Noting
that the Coast Guard has "the lead role in ensur-
ing Arctic maritime safety, security and steward-
ship," Papp urges Congress "to start building
infrastructure up there."

Washington's defense cuts will only exacerbate
these gaps, especially as Russia's oil-aided boom
enables it to retool its armed forces. Investing just
1.1 percent of its GDP on defense, Canada faces
even greater challenges in defending its Arctic
interests. But if the allies can combine their Arctic
capabilities - each filling a niche role - and agree
on a common approach to Arctic security, the
framework to put these capabilities into practice is
arguably already in place.

Jointly operated by the United States and Cana-
da, the North American Aerospace Defense Com-
mand (NORAD) could serve as the model for an
Arctic security partnership. Just as NORAD
defends North American airspace, an allied
maritime arrangement under the NORAD rubric
could provide for security in Arctic waters.

It's worth noting that maritime surveillance
was added to NORAD's responsibilities in 2006.
And in 2011, the Pentagon shifted responsibility
for most Arctic operations to Northern Command
(NORTHCOM), headed up by the same person
who commands NORAD.

Bracing for military eventualities in the Arctic is
not armchair alarmism. In fact, Gen. Gene Renu-
art, former NORTHCOM commander, reported in
2008 that U.S. officials were beginning to explore
ways to "posture NORAD ... to provide the right
kind of search-and-rescue, military response, if
need be, and certainly security for whatever
activities occur in the Arctic."

The current NORTHCOM commander, Adm.
James Winnefield, said, "In order to ensure a
peaceful opening of the Arctic, DoD must antici-
pate today the Arctic operations that will be
expected of it tomorrow."

In other words, the goal in preparing for worst-
case scenarios and shoring up allied resolve in the
Arctic is not to trigger a military confrontation, but
to prevent one. ||

Alan W. Dowd is a senior fellow with the
Fraser Institute, and a contributing editor for
The American Legion Magazine.

DECEMBER 2011 | THE AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE 23

Dakota Meyer, the newest Medal of Honor recipient,
joins a select company of Americans.

hen the call from the White House
came, Dakota Meyer was working at
a construction site and couldn't get
away. So the president's staff had to
call back during Meyer's lunch break to invite
him to Washington to receive the Medal of Honor.

"If I don't work, I don't get paid," the 23-year-old
former Marine Corps sergeant later explained
while enjoying a beer with President Obama on
the lawn outside the Oval Office.

Meyer's work ethic, determination and willing-
ness to go against the grain to do what he thinks
is right are central to his character. He cannot
resist a challenge, and refuses to quit. He is
loyal beyond convenience. And he never leaves
a man behind.

"That's what it means to be a friend," Meyer
said in his hometown of Greensburg, Ky., on
Sept. 17. "You don't abandon a friend just because
things get tough. If you do, you are not a friend
worth having."

Meyer returned to Greensburg to serve as grand
marshal in the town's annual Cow Days parade,
and be part of several activities planned in his
honor. He dreaded the attention but accepted
the spotlight, knowing that it comes with the
nation's highest military decoration. Meyer is
the first living Marine in 38 years to receive
the Medal of Honor.

He remembers the brief exchange with a Marine
recruiter in the halls of Greensburg High School
that changed the course of his life, and eventually
landed him in the middle of a deadly firefight half
a world away.

"What are you going to do when you graduate?"
Meyer recalls the Marine asking him.

Meyer and Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, right, observe the
national anthem during Greensburg's Cow Days Festival.

"I guess I want to go to college and play foot-
ball," he replied.

"Good thing, because it doesn't look like you
have what it takes to be a Marine," the recruiter
quipped as he walked away.

The challenge didn't go unmet. Meyer joined the
Marine Corps, and like thousands of others, ended
up deploying to Iraq and later Afghanistan.

On Sept. 8, 2009, Cpl. Meyer - along with
13 U.S. military trainers and a column of Afghan
soldiers and border police officers - set out for a
routine meeting with elders of the village of
Ganjgal, in a valley on the border with Pakistan.
Nearly 50 insurgents ambushed the joint force, and
as casualties mounted, Meyer and Staff Sgt. Juan
Rodriguez-Chavez disobeyed orders to stay put,
rescuing 36 U.S. and Afghan troops.

"I didn't think I was going to die," Meyer told
the crowd at the Cow Days Festival. "I knew I
was going to die. There was so much enemy
fire whizzing past my head that it sounded like
radio static."

DECEMBER 2011 | THE AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE 25

Public lines up for new low-cost
appliance that slashes heat bills

Amish craftsmen vow to keep up with rush for brand-new Hybrid-Thermic 'Miracle Heater'
Uses about the same energy as a coffee maker per hour, so just plug it in and never be cold again

BY: SAMUEL A. JAMES

Universal Media Syndicate

(UMS) - Everyone hates
high heat bills. But we're all
sick of turning the thermo-
stat down and freezing our
buns off.

That's why Sears hit a
home-run with the first-
ever low-cost appliance
with Hybrid-Thermic™
heat technology, which no
other heater can claim.

The brand-new Heat
Surge HT L.E.D. sips so lit-
tle energy, you can run it
all day or all night for just
about a buck.

This modern mar-
vel, hailed as the 'Miracle
Heater/ caused such a
frenzy at Sears stores with
none in stock, one shopper
refused to leave, forcing
managers to hand over the
floor model.

So now, immediate action
is being taken to give more
people, more ways to get
them.

Beginning at 8:30 a.m.
today, readers are allowed
to phone in to snag one.
Heat Surge even posted a
7-day Double Coupon which
has been reprinted on this
page for readers to use.

By using this coupon,
everyone who calls is being
rewarded with $198. That
makes this remarkable new
home appliance a real steal
at just $398. The Double
Coupon Deal also entitles
you to free home delivery.
So now everyone has a fair
shot at getting one.

"The Heat Surge HT
L.E.D. is a revolutionary
appliance that can easily
roll from room to room. But
we didn't want it to look like
some metal box that just sits
there. So we turned to our

GOTTA HAVE ONE: An eager crowd awaits the new Heat Surge HT L.E.D. "I heard so
much about the Amish Miracle Heater but couldn't find where to get one," said Mary
Straun. Readers can now call the National Appliance Center at 1-866-815-7113 to use the
extraordinary Double Coupon that also gets you free delivery.

Amish craftsmen and now
each one is made to look
like a sleek, slim fireplace
that has no real flames and
is totally safe to the touch.
All you do is just plug it in,"
said Director of Technology,
Dave Martin.

A shy but now famous
Amish craftsman known
as Melvin said, "Folks
know about our quality. No
particle board, just real-
wood. Fully-assembled by
our own hands and we're
making these cabinets
right here in the good ole
USA."

And according to an
avalanche of Heat Surge
consumer reviews the

company has good reason
to boast an overwhelming
CONSUMER 'BEST BUY.'

"Folks are saving money
with the new Heat Surge
HT L.E.D.," said Kris
Rumel, the analyst track-
ing the impact Heat Surge
is having on consumer heat
bills.

"But be aware of the fakes
out there. Accept no imita-
tions. If it does not have
the Heat Surge name on
it, it is not real Amish and
it's not Hybrid-Thermic™.
I repeat, if it does not say
'Heat Surge/ you are get-
ting ripped off," Rumel
said.

The Heat Surge HT

L.E.D. has earned the
coveted UL certification
and is protected by a lim-
ited full year replacement
and 30-day Satisfaction
Guarantee.

So for readers hoping to
get the new Heat Surge for
themselves and take care
of Christmas gifts, there is
good news.

You can use the Double
Coupon more than once.
But there is a catch. You
can only get away with
it by calling the National
Appliance Center at
1-866-815-7113 before the
coupon expires seven
days from the date of this
publication. ■

HOW It WOrkS" ^ ou 8 et ^° °^ bone-soothing room heat even when the home thermostat
is turned down to 59° with the first-ever Heat Surge HT L.E.D.

The revolutionary Heat Surge HT L.E.D. is the
first-ever appliance with Hybrid-Thermic™ technol-
ogy, an engineering genius so advanced, it actually
uses a micro-furnace from the Coast of China and
a thermal heat exchanger to perform its miracles.
Together, this Hybrid-Thermic heat takes care of all
the cold spots. In fact, it actually produces Ortho-
Thermic™, bone-soothing heat.

This modern marvel saves you money based on a U.S. average that says it uses
only about 9$ of energy an hour on the standard setting. But surprise, it's not just
a metal box that belongs in a basement. The portable Heat Surge HT L.E.D. comes
installed in a Amish-built wood cabinet made in the heartland of Ohio, measuring
just 25" high, 32" wide, and 12" deep. It has the ambiance of a real fireplace, but
it has no real flames and it's safe to the touch. It's so safe it's where the kids will
play and the dog and cat will sleep. When it arrives, just plug it in.

HOW tO get the DOUble GOUPOII Deal: Find your Weather Zone here

JUST 7 DAYS REMAIN: An extraordinary $198.00 Double Coupon
Deal has been authorized for readers in three eligible Weather Zones
to get the Heat Surge HT L.E.D. for just $398 (plus applicable sales
tax in OH & FL). To use, just locate the Weather Zone you live in on
the map here and call the hotline number shown for your zone. For
those that beat the deadline, the Double Coupon also entitles you
to FREE Shipping.

EVERYONE LIVING IN
FRIGID ZONE 1

CALL

1-800-326-3035

EVERYONE LIVING IN
COLD ZONE 2

CALL

1-800-326-3092

EVERYONE LIVING IN
FROST ZONE 3

CALL

1-800-373-4027

EXPIRES

7 Days From Today's Publication Date

III II III Mil II

P N 2 1 1

After Coupon Expires: $547.00 plus S&H

HEAT SURGE, LLC.
8000 FREEDOM AVE. N CANTON, OH 44720

■ SAFE: The beautiful Fireless Flame on the new Heat
Surge HT L.E.D. is so stunning, everyone thinks it's real,
but it's actually safe to the touch. It's so safe, it's where
the kids will play & the pets will sleep.

■ BLANKET FREE COMFORT: "We just couldn't take
another winter of always being cold. And as an early
Christmas gift, we got one for the kids to help them with
their heat bills," Julia White said.

Festival organizers estimated that about 20,000
people turned out to see Meyer. The streets of
Greensburg, a city of about 2,400, were lined 10
deep as everyone waited to get a glimpse of the
hometown hero. Family, friends, neighbors, and
local and state officials waved U.S. flags as he
passed by in his dress blues, his Medal of Honor
reflecting the bright September sun.

"There is no better place to be today than here in
Greensburg," said Gov. Steve Beshear, who be-
stowed on Meyer the title of Kentucky Colonel.
"There is not a person here today who is not proud
of you and the honor you have brought to yourself,
to Greensburg, to the Commonwealth of Kentucky,
and to the nation. God bless you."

Speakers praised Meyer for his deeds on and off
the battlefield, and Greensburg Mayor George
"Lisle" Cheatham announced that a street will be
named for Meyer near the county's new fire/EMS
station. He also proclaimed Sept. 17 to be
Dakota L. Meyer Day.

Meyer said he was only doing what the Marines
taught him to do. "I'm not a hero. But I do accept
this medal in memory of the true heroes who
fought and died that day in the Ganjgal Valley of
Kunar province. My regret is that everyone did not
come home. For that, I feel like I failed."

Two days before, at Meyer's Medal of Honor
ceremony, President Obama disagreed.

"Dakota, I know that you've grappled with the
grief of that day," he told the Marine. "You've said
your efforts were somehow a 'failure' because
your teammates didn't come home. But as your
commander in chief, and on behalf of everyone
here today, I want you to know it's
quite the opposite. You did your duty,
above and beyond, and you kept the
faith with the highest traditions of
the Marine Corps that you love." ||

James V. Carroll is photo editor for
The American Legion Magazine.

"FOR CONSPICUOUS GALLANTRY AND INTREPIDITY..." <

According to his Medal of Honor citation, Cpl. Dakota
Meyer acted "at the risk of his life above and beyond the call
of duty" while serving with Marine Embedded Training
Team 2-8, Regional Corps Advisory Command 3-7, in
Kunar province, Afghanistan, on Sept. 8, 2009.

As Meyer maintained security at a patrol rally point, other
team members moved on foot with two platoons of the
Afghan National Army and Border Police
into Ganjgal for a predawn meeting with
village elders. More than 50 enemy
fighters ambushed the patrol, firing
rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and
machine guns from the slopes above.

Hearing that four U.S. team members
were cut off, Meyer took the exposed
gunner's position in a gun truck as he
and Staff Sgt. Juan Rodriguez-Chavez
drove down the steep terrain to disrupt
the attack and locate the team. Meyer
killed a number of fighters with the mounted machine guns
and his rifle, some at near point-blank range, during three
solo trips into the ambush area.

During the first two trips, Meyer and Rodriguez-Chavez
evacuated 24 Afghan soldiers, many of them wounded.
When one gun became inoperable, he directed a return to
the rally point to switch to another gun truck. Despite a
shrapnel wound to his arm, Meyer made two more trips in a
third gun truck to recover more wounded Afghan soldiers
and search for the U.S. team. On a fifth trip, he dismounted
the vehicle to recover the bodies of his team members.

Marine 1st Lt. Michael Johnson,
Marine Staff Sgt. Aaron Kenefick, Marine
Gunnery Sgt. Edwin Johnson, Navy
Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class James Layton,
eight Afghan soldiers and an interpreter
were killed in the attack. Army Sgt. 1st
Class Kenneth Westbrook died a month
later from wounds
he received.

Rodriguez-Chavez and
Capt. Ademola Fabayo
each received the Navy
Cross, the second
highest decoration
for valor. Fabayo and
Army Capt. William Swenson
fought the advancing Taliban
fighters and evacuated casualties under
fire. Swenson also joined Meyer in
retrieving the bodies of the Marine team while under heavy
fire. Though Swenson's bravery has yet to be recognized by
the Army, Marine Gen. John Allen - the top general in
Afghanistan - has forwarded a Medal of Honor
recommendation.

Meyer is the 10th person to receive the nation's highest
award for valor for actions during the Afghanistan and Iraq
wars. Seven Medals of Honor have been presented
posthumously. Army Sgt. 1st Class Leroy Petry and Army
Staff Sgt. Salvatore "Sal" Giunta are the other living
recipients from the two war theaters.

DoD/U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Jimmy D. Shea

THE AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2011

No More Mr. Nice Watch

Forget sleek and subtle, the Stauer Colossus Hybrid is one tough timepiece.

Never underestimate your competition. Just ask Demetrius,
the unfortunate Greek general who set out to conquer
Rhodes in 305 BC. He assumed that a massive force of 40,000
men, a fleet of Aegean pirates and an arsenal of wall-smashing
war machines would be enough to crush the tiny Greek island.
He was wrong. The Rhodians were tougher than he thought.
And so is this watch. If you've always believed that the biggest,
baddest watches had to cost big, bad money, the $79 Stauer
Colossus Hybrid Chronograph is here to change your mind.
A monument to toughness. The people of Rhodes were
ready for Demetrius and repelled his attack. To celebrate, they
built the Colossus of Rhodes, a 107-foot bronze and iron giant
that towered over the harbor like a ten-story trophy. It warned
future invaders that "Rhodes is tougher than you think." You
give the same message when you wear the Stauer Colossus.
The timepiece that works twice as hard. In designing
the Colossus Hybrid Chronograph, our instructions to the
watchmaker were clear: build it as tough as a battleship and fill
it full of surprises. Make it a hybrid, because it should work
twice as hard as a regular watch. And make it look like a
million bucks, because when you put it on, you should get
excited about rolling up your sleeves. Mission accomplished.
A toolbox on your wrist. It will keep you on schedule, but
the Colossus Hybrid is about much more than time. The
imposing case features a rotating gunmetal bezel that frames
the silver, black and yellow face. You'll find a battalion of digital
displays on the dial arranged behind a pair of luminescent
hands and a bold yellow second hand. Powered by a precise

quartz movement, the watch is doubly accurate in analog and
digital mode. And it's packed with plenty of handy extras
including a bright green EL back-light for enhanced nighttime
visibility, a tachymeter along the outer dial and a full comple-
ment of alarms and split-second countdown timers. The
Colossus Hybrid secures with a folded steel bracelet that
highlights a row of striking dark center links. It's a rugged
watch that's more than ready for your daily grind.
Your Satisfaction is Guaranteed. Wear the Stauer
Colossus Hybrid for 30 days and if you are not 100% thrilled
with your purchase, return it for a full refund of your purchase
price. But once you get a taste of more watch for less money,
it's likely you'll be back for more... and we'll be waiting.
WATCH SPECS: -Easy-to-read analog/digital modes -Back-lighting &
luminescent hands - Tachymeter, countdown timers & alarms
- Folded stainless steel bracelet fits a 6 3 /4 M -8 Vf wrist

A Stauer Exclusive

Colossus Hybrid Digital/Analog Watch— $295
Now $79 +s&p Save $316

Call now to take advantage of this limited offer.

1-888-277-8380 Offer Limited

to First 5000
Respondents

Promotional Code CHW227-02

Please mention this code when you call.

I Stauer has a Better Business
I Bureau Rating of A+

Sutter

14101 Southcross Drive W., Dept. CHW227-02
Burnsville, Minnesota 55337

www.stauer.com

Smart Luxuries — Surprising Prices

COMMENTARY

TAPPED

America's lack of fiscal discipline
led to a forecast that became a
problem that is now a crisis.

BY RON HASKINS

30 THE AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2011

Back in the 1950s, there was a TV commercial for a chocolate drink called
Bosco. In it, a child yelled, "I want my Bosco, and I want it NOW!" That
child has grown up and wants a lot of government benefits, and he wants
them now, even if his own progeny has to pay for them.
The United States is in serious economic trouble because the U.S.
government and the American people alike have lacked financial discipline for
some time now. Social Security and Medicare actuaries have been forecasting
long-term fiscal problems for years. Yet Congress has taken only modest action to
resolve the deficit, and the American people, based on poll results, barely noticed
the problem until about a year ago. Now they realize that the federal deficit has
assumed crisis proportions, with worse to come. But even now, despite polls
showing that the public understands the problem must be fixed, the public also
opposes any cuts in Social Security or Medicare - the two biggest domestic
programs - and won't support tax increases.

If Congress can neither cut the big entitlement programs nor raise taxes,
it cannot solve the deficit crisis.

Figure 1 portrays the deficit problem in stark terms. As early as 2023, only a little
more than a decade from now, it will require every penny of federal revenue to pay
for just Social Security, health programs and interest on the debt, leaving no money
for anything else. Of course, we can expand our current borrowing craze to pay for
the other programs, but
borrowing increases the 80-
deficit and raises federal
interest payments,
adding to the overall
problem. Interest
payments could soon
become the biggest
single expenditure in
the federal budget.

How did we dig this
deficit pit? There are
many answers, but the
biggest single cause is
the long-term growth of
health-care programs
- especially Medicare
and Medicaid - and
taxes that don't produce
the revenue needed to
afford that growth.

Over the past four decades, federal spending has averaged nearly 21 percent of
the nation's gross domestic product (GDP), while federal revenues have averaged
18 percent, leaving an annual deficit of around 3 percent of GDP. After years of that
kind of math, the nation winds up in a deficit pit.

On top of the slow and systematic accumulation of debt, the deficit has exploded
in recent years. If the deficit had been 3 percent of GDP in 2010, expressed in
dollars, that would have been about $435 billion; the actual deficit was $1.4 trillion.
Congress and President Obama would have celebrated if the deficit in 2010 -
or 2011 or 2012, for that matter - had been $435 billion. A big reason the deficit
was so big in 2010 is that revenues as a percent of GDP were about 3 percent below
their average over the past four decades, due primarily to the recession, while
spending was about 4 percent higher. So, the math is getting worse.

DECEMBER 2011 | THE AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE

Nor does the future look any better. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
projects that in 2035 revenues will be only around 18 percent of GDP. However,
spending is projected to expand to nearly 34 percent of GDP, almost 13 percentage
points higher than in recent decades. The primary reason is increased spending on
Social Security and health programs, especially Medicare.

There's another problem. Because the United States is paying interest on
$10 trillion in public debt (equal to about 70 percent of GDP), annual interest
payments are already about $200 billion. But by 2035, because of the huge amount
of additional borrowing between now and then, the federal debt will be about
190 percent of GDP, and interest payments will be nearly $2.4 trillion, according
to CBO.

Thus, the nation needs a compromise solution that includes spending cuts and
tax increases alike. But Democrats will never agree to deep spending cuts unless
there are tax increases, and Republicans will never agree to tax increases unless
there are cuts in the big entitlement programs, especially Social Security, Medicare
and Medicaid. It follows that there will not be a budget deal unless both sides
compromise, something they have not been willing to do as of this writing.

Just when the nation desperately needs leadership, Congress and the president
are not supplying it. But a major reason politicians are not willing to compromise
is that polls continue to show that the American people, although they want to
reduce the deficit, do not support spending cuts or tax increases.

DOES THE S&P DOWNGRADE MATTER?

U.S. credit-rating agencies issue judgments about the
credit risks of private firms and local, state and federal
governments here and elsewhere. The basic idea of a
credit rating is to provide a public judgment about the
ability and willingness of an entity that issues debt
to repay its creditors on time and in full. The

credit rating is based on an assessment of a
host of factors, such as the debtor's
balance sheet, its history of debt
repayment, its ratio of debt to income, its
management and governance capability
and performance, along with other factors.
On Aug. 5, Standard & Poor's, one of the
three major credit-rating agencies in the
United States, downgraded the U.S.
federal government's credit rating from
the highest classification of AAA to its
second level, AA+. Standard & Poor's has
many levels for investment-grade debt,
ranging from A ratings all the way through D.
Although AA+ is given to a debtor with a
"very strong capacity to meet financial
commitments," this was nonetheless a shock.
The downgrade could have long-term
consequences for the United States. One immediate
consequence is that a number of federal financial
agencies, such as Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the
Federal Home Loan Banks - whose creditworthiness is
tied to the federal rating - also suffered a downgrade.

Another potential consequence is that state and local
governments and private companies that depend at
least in part on federal payments - defense contractors,
for example - could also be downgraded.

Although S&P does not have the direct power to tell
lenders what interest rate they should charge, it is
generally accepted that the lower the credit rating, the
higher the interest rate lenders want for the increased
risk to their investment. Most analysts seem to believe
that the United States is not yet at the point at which
lenders will begin to demand higher interest rates.
Rather, they seem to see the S&P action as a warning
shot across the federal government's bow.

Unfortunately, the lower credit rating is not the only
action S&P took to signal their changing view of U.S.
credit. S&P also issues what is called an "outlook." This
element of a credit rating is S&P's judgment about the
direction of a creditor's ability to repay over the next six
months to two years. S&P slapped a "negative" outlook
on the United States, signaling that the AA+ rating is
likely to be lowered in the future.

The irony of the U.S. debt plight is that no one doubts
that America has the fiscal capacity to solve the crisis. As
recent debt-commission reports show, including that of
the president's own Simpson-Bowles Commission, a host
of actions to cut spending and increase revenue can be
taken to solve the problem, if there's enough will to
make tough decisions that are likely to have great
political consequences.

32 THE AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2011

ANNIVERSARY TRIBUTE PIS J

Left side features banners that read,
"Centennial Anniversary" and "Honoring^
Military Service To America." At the center
of the artwork is a medallion featuring the
familiar profile of the Colt 1911 pistol, encircled by
'egend "100 Years Defending Freedom." Bookmarking the medallion are the
■ s "19U "-"2011 " - in honor of a century of distinguished service.

^SEMPER FjngTg^ONOV. 1775-s

it side commemorates the featured U.S. military service branch (U.S. Marine Corps Tribute shown), with t
ing banners and clusters of stars decorated in richly-plated 24-karat gold. Each pistol in the edition will showcase
tame of the service branch honored, its motto and the date it was founded. (Army, Navy, Air Force also available.)

'The nation which forgets its defenders will
be itself forgotten" ~ Calvin Coolidge

During the last century of military warfare, America's Armed Forces have triumphed over incredible
5 in conflicts across the globe. During this time, one firearm comes to mind that best embodies the spirit
H those who served in the 20th century. It's the classic Colt M191 1A1 .45 pistol. No firearm in history
boast a more impressive record of American military service than the Colt Model 191 1. The .45 caliber
)1 served as the official sidearm for our country's Armed Forces from 1911 to 1985, longer than any
r small military arm in the world.

Now, on the 100th Anniversary of the Colt Model 1911 pistol, Colt and America Remembers are
id to issue Official Colt Collectibles honoring the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy and U.S.
Force - each separate edition is issued in a strictly limited edition of 500 pistols per service branch,
ddition, there is a 100th Anniversary edition of 500 Patriotic Colt .45 Pistols, featuring an American
le and the phrase "Land of the Free, Home of the Brave." Craftsmen specifically commissioned by
jrica Remembers decorate each Tribute in stunning 24-karat gold artwork over a blue steel canvas. In
y phase of its conception, design and execution, and in every detail of its finish, we have held fast to
*oal of creating a powerful, museum-quality tribute to history's greatest military sidearm.

ARMY, NAVY, AIR FORCE, MARINE CORPS AVAILABLE NOW

For the veterans of America's Armed Forces who carried a Colt .45 pistol, the classic military sidearm
special significance. It was a constant companion that offered superior stopping power against all
nies. To put it simply, the Colt .45 pistol was a lifesaver. The Colt was utterly reliable, virtually
structible and awesome in its stopping power. In the hands of courageous American warriors, it would
>me a military and firearms legend. For decades, wherever Americans fought for freedom, the Colt .45
there. Those who pulled the trigger will never forget, and neither should we.

RESERVE NOW

Reservations will be accepted in the order they are received. You can mail us your order, or to
ritize your order and confirm availability, call us toll-free at 1-800-682-2291. We will arrange
/ery through the licensed firearms dealer of your choice. And, as always, if you are not completely
ified, you may return your Tribute to us in original, unfrred condition within 30 days for a complete
courteous refund.

The Colt name is legendary for firearm enthusiasts, as well as for military veterans and their families,
i exclusive Tribute stands as a monumental salute to all who served our country and carried the iconic

An
lin

Please enter my reservation for the "Colt® Cei
Tribute Pistol," selected below. Each is a workin
introductory issue price of $1,995.* My deposit
enclosed. I wish to pay the balance at the rate (
interest or carrying charges. Certificate of Authen

daV return privilege or ^ ers are su ^ ect t0 acceptance and credit 1
J r t> am j handing w m oe added to each order. Virgin!

Service Branch Honored:

□ U.S. Army □ U.S. Air Force □ U.S. Marine Corps □ 1

□ Check enclosed for $ .

□ Charge payment of $ to:

□ VISA □ MasterCard □ AMEX □ Discover

Display Case

□ I wish to reserve the optional, luxuriously lined, <
case with locking glass lid. My payment of $149 :
credit card.

Name

City/State/Zip_

Most budget observers believe that if the American people and their elected
officials continue to refuse to make the sacrifices necessary to get us out of the
deficit pit, long before CBO's 2035 projection is reached, outside forces will impose
a solution on our undisciplined nation. The reason is that the financial markets
will revolt. When markets revolt, they have a simple and deadly weapon: investors
won't lend unless they receive a high interest rate to compensate for the increased
risk of default. For a nation that is already paying $200 billion in interest while
rates are near historic lows, imagine what will happen to the deficit if - or perhaps
more likely - when interest rates go up.

Actually, not much imagination is required. After all, Standard & Poor's (S&P)
has already downgraded the U.S. credit rating from AAA to AA+, an action
unimaginable until the recent profligacy and political recklessness of federal

lawmakers. The S&P down-

Figure 2

Annual Average Real Growth in GDP
and National Health Expenditures

Average annual real
health-expenditure growth

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

grade is precisely the kind of
action that will make
the nation's deficit problem
much deeper. The major
long-term threat of credit-
rating downgrades is that
they will eventually cause our
interest rate to rise, to com-
pensate for increased risk our
lenders must bear. This would
send us into a vicious cycle of
higher interest rates, explod-
ing deficits, even higher
interest rates, and so on.

An important aspect of the
S&P downgrade is that it was
justified not only by financial
factors related to the U.S.
debt, but by S&P's view that
the "effectiveness, stability,
and predictability of Ameri-
can policymaking and
political institutions have
weakened at a time of ongoing fiscal and economic challenges." In short, the
dysfunctional political system that repeatedly fails to solve the deficit crisis is
itself a major part of our financial problem.

We can better understand both the financial and political dynamics of our huge
and growing deficit by looking in more detail at Medicare, one of the biggest and
fastest-growing programs. Compare the annual growth rate of the nation's GDP
with the annual growth of health-care costs. Although the growth rate of health-
care cost has moderated somewhat since the beginning of the 1990s, it is still about
2.9 times greater than the rate of growth of the economy.

A great economist once said that any trend that cannot continue won't. If health-
care spending and Medicare spending continue to grow faster than the economy,
as they have done every year since the 1970s, all other consumption items will be
squeezed even more than they already are. Even more to the point, the United
States will have to either raise taxes to a level that would severely damage the
economy, or further increase borrowing (and consequently our deficit) to cover
the costs of health-care growth. There is simply no way to avoid the fact that we
must take whatever hit is necessary to slow the growth of health-care, and of
Medicare and Medicaid, expenditures.

Sources: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, "Table 1: National Health Expenditures Aggregate, Per Capita Amounts, Percent Distribution, and Average
Annual Percent Growth: Selected Calendar Years: 1960-2009," NHE Web Tables; Bureau of Economic Analysis, "Table 1.2.4 Price Indexesfor Gross Domestic
Product by Major Type of Product," National Income and Product Account Tables. Note: The 2000s consist of 2000-2009.

THE AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2011

FOR GUARANTEED CHRISTMAS DELIVERY
1-800-323-5577 • www.bradfordexchange.com/dear

"Granddaughter, YouVe My Little Dear"

Heirloom Porcelain® Music Box

Opens on a 22K gold
Limoges-style hinge
with a heart-shaped
clasp to reveal a
loving message!

10 Clasp sparkles with a
hand-set faux jewel

Limited edition with
a Certificate of
Authenticity

Plays the
delightful melody
of "You Are My
Sunshine"

Granddaughter, you are dearly loved,

Your precious granddaughter is a treasure near
and dear to your heart. Now an all-new music
box shaped like an adorable fawn delightfully
expresses your love for her. Hand-crafted of
Heirloom Porcelain®, it opens on a gleaming,
22K gold Limoges-style hinge to reveal a loving
message. To complete the endearing effect, it
plays the melody of "You Are My Sunshine."
A Bradford Exchange exclusive, this limited
edition music box is a heartwarming reminder
of the love you and your granddaughter share,
and makes a perfect gift.

Strictly limited edition ... order today

"Granddaughter, You're My Little Dear" is
premiere priced at just $39.99*, payable in two
installments of $19.99 each, the first due before
shipment. It s backed by our unconditional,
36 5 -day money-back guarantee. Send no money
now. Don't risk disappointment — return the
Reservation Application today.

www.bradf ordexchange . com/ dear

Shown about actual size of 4Vi inches high

Opens to reveal a
sweet sentiment:
Granddaughter,
You're My
Little Dear

RESERVATION APPLICATION

SEND NO MONEY NOW

IBM. A I M"€Mt f . j ' M , \ .1 > k

^COLLECTIBLES-

9345 Milwaukee Avenue • Niles, IL 60714-1393
YES. Please reserve the "Granddaughter, You're My Little Dear"
Music Box(es) for me as described in this announcement. More than one
granddaughter? Please check quantity desired below.

Please Respond Promptly

□ 1 Deer □ 2 Deer □ 3 Deer □ 4 Deer

Mrs. Mr. Ms.

Name (Please Print Clearly)

Address

City

State

Zip

01-1 2533-001 -E94991

We must receive your initial payment by 12/14/11 for Christmas delivery. Call 1-800-323-5577
or visit www.bradfordexchange.com/dear. *Plus a total of $7.99 shipping and service
per deer. A limited-edition presentation restricted to 95-firing days. All sales are subject to
product availability and order acceptance.

There is a military parallel to the rapidly increasing costs of Medicare and
Medicaid. The cost of TRICARE has been increasing at an even faster rate than the
ruinous increases in Medicare and Medicaid costs. In 2000, the cost of TRICARE
was around $20 billion. Over the next decade, the cost soared to over $50 billion,
an annual increase of around 9 percent. This rate of cost increases threatens the
rest of the defense budget, which is already digesting plans for more than
$450 billion in cuts over the next decade and continued intense scrutiny by
Congress and the president.

In fact, the defense budget is already being cut at an alarming rate. Even after
subtracting both the cost savings from the phasedown of the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan and the spending reductions from the reforms under former Defense
Secretary Robert Gates, defense spending for 2012 - while not yet officially

determined by Congress - will probably see at least a $12 billion cut.

Congress and the president, as a result of the budget-ceiling deal in
August, have already agreed to an additional defense cut likely worth
around $33 billion for 2013. And if the supercommittee appointed by
Congress to reach a bipartisan agreement reducing the deficit by $1.5 tril-
lion over 10 years fails to cut a deal, there will be an across-the-board
reduction (called a "sequester") that follows a predetermined set of
rules. A major part of that predetermined agreement is that defense will
be cut by another $33 billion in 2013. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta
argued in mid-October that any cuts beyond the more than $450 billion
eyed over the next decade could seriously threaten U.S. national security.

Unfortunately, few observers believe that the supercommittee will
reach its goal of $1.5 billion, making the additional $33 billion in cuts
seem probable. If they occur, that will bring the total cuts for 2013 to at
least $66 billion, or more than 10 percent of the defense budget, after
the reductions from the Gates reforms and the phasedown of the wars.

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon, R-Calif.,
is so worried about this level of defense cuts that he has said publicly he
would vote for tax increases rather than the cuts. To put it mildly, it is
unusual for any Republican to say he or she would be willing to in-
crease taxes.

With every passing day, it becomes clearer that the United States will
be required to pay a huge penalty for its long history of budget profli-
gacy. In fact, there is no reason to believe that Congress and the presi-
dent would be tying themselves in knots even now if they didn't think
that a moment of crisis has arrived, brought on not by a demand for
budget responsibility from the American people, but by the threat that
the nation's credit is slipping and that soon we will not be able to tax
ourselves enough or borrow enough money to pay our bills.

If the growth and popularity of the Tea Party is any indication, an
increasing number of Americans seems to be willing to suffer the
+ consequences of the tax increases and spending cuts that will be

necessary to fight our way out of the deficit pit and protect our national
security capability. For the sake of our children and grandchildren, not to mention
our national defense, our leaders cannot continue to pass the buck. And Americans
must make a choice: suffer now, or suffer more later. Unless we act now, we will
pass a deeply shameful legacy to our children and grandchildren. ||

Ron Haskins is a senior fellow in the Economic Studies Program and co-director of
the Center on Children and Families at the Brookings Institution. A former White
House and congressional adviser on welfare issues, he was instrumental in the 1996
overhaul of national welfare policy.

THE LEGION'S
POSITION

On Oct. 12, The American
Legion's National Executive
Committee passed Resolution
No. 1, which urges Congress
and the administration "to
cease all efforts to reduce the
defense budget from its
current levels."

The resolution declares that
"spending on national
security did not create the
current budget crisis, and
further cuts to national
defense will not solve it."
Further, defense cuts "will do
irreversible and irreparable
harm" to the U.S. military,
which has been at war for 10
years, "causing equipment
shortages and the extension
of equipment useful life span
to dangerous levels."

Defense spending, as a
percentage of total federal
spending, is approaching
historic lows not seen since
before World War II.

36 THE AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2011

OFFICIAL MILITARY VETERAN CAPS & RINGS

Youll be proud to wear the service cap dedicated to every veteran who served in every branch and war of our Armed Forces.
kiP^La* *" ca P s are so '' c '- ^O^ 0 brush cotton twill. Adjustable st rag_- o ne size fits all. Psrf&Gt Gift!

WWII*

VETERAN

Jeterad

U.S. ARMY

VETERAN

Army

VETERAN

Navy

Coast Guard

Air Force*

ONLY $ 14 95 1 SKgSfflEE CAP w/ ANY RING!

Richly Embroidered Official Scrambled Eggs Add $5 Each Cap (shown on brim above). Available with or without Eggs

Military Service Rings Lifetime warranty

Any Ring ^

J^H^^t 0NLY$59- 95 l1*

1^V ? 1 ! W^ WITH FREE GIFT POUCHI Wh*&L

ANY 2 RINGS ONLY $99 + FREE CAP!

Richly crafted with 1 8k heavy gold electroplate or in pure plated white rhodium, hand finished and precisely set with Ruby or
Sapphire Austrian crystal. Logos are etched into stone with gold leaf, each side contains finely sculpted emblems of each
branch as well Or choose our new rings in pure white rhodium plated with 18k heavy gold electroplated insrgntas {shown on top).

Order by Phone: 516-741-0346 or at www.Rushindustries.com/ARH386LP

30 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (less s&H)
Please enter style, quantity, and ring size:

Air Coast Special U!

Special Forces, Iraqi, & POW
Similar Style Not Shown

No Eggs

Eggs Add $5

(Shown Above*)*

Military Rings:
Gold Color w/ Stone
Silver Color w/ Stone
Silver Color w/o Stone

N/A

Army Navy Marines

Air
Force

Coast Special

N/A

Ring Size(s):
8 9

14_

15_

□ SPECIAL: ANY 2 RINGS FOR ONLY $99 + FREE CAP! . Note: free Cap (No Eggs)

For rings or caps add $4.95 S&H plus $1 .95 for each add'l item. value of $ 1 4.951
j Express Service add $3.00 per order (5-7 Business Days) Add $5 for scrambled Eggs

Note: For personal checks, there will be a 10 day verification delay.

Send to:

Rush Industries, Inc. Dept. ARH386LP
263 Norton Highway, Mineola, NY 11501

Enclosed is S or charge it

□ gBjrjffip □ j j&fllf Q

Acct#:

-Exp* Date; _

Name:

Address:

City;

State . —

-Zip_

Hal lowed WATERS

Pearl Harbor's museum complex,
and the veterans who staff it,
tell the story of the attack that
pushed America into war.

STORY AND PHOTOS BY FLOYD K. TAKEUCHI

Just after 8 a.m., our Navy launch comes
alongside the small jetty at the eastern
edge of a simple white sway-top building.
Above us, the Stars and Stripes is stirred
by gentle tropical trade winds.
Perhaps this is what it was like 70 years
ago, on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, at
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii: white clouds etched on a
deep blue sky, launches crisscrossing the calm
waters of the U.S. naval base, and gray warships
berthed at shoreside docks.

What happened next changed the United States
and the world. Just before 8 a.m. local time, the
first wave of Japanese carrier-based fighters and
bombers swooped down on an unsuspecting U.S.

38 THE AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2011

Pacific Fleet at anchor in Pearl Harbor,
on the southern shore of the island of
Oahu. At 8:06 a.m. - almost the exact
time I step off the Navy launch at the
USS Arizona Memorial this particular
morning - an armor-piercing bomb
penetrated the deck of the proud
battleship and exploded, setting off the forward
ammunition magazine and triggering U.S. entry
into World War II.

The resulting explosions proved fatal to the
warship and 1,177 of its crew. The shattered hulk
of Arizona quickly settled keel-first into the muddy
bottom of Pearl Harbor, still alongside its mooring
platforms just off Ford Island. To the north and
south, other battleships would be crippled or
destroyed: Nevada, California, Oklahoma, West
Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.
Battleship Row, the pride of the Pacific Fleet, had
suddenly become a tangle of twisted steel, covered
by thick oily smoke and fire. All around, the
screams of wounded and dying men filled the air.

DICKGIROCCO,

PACIFIC AVIATION MUSEUM PEARL HARBOR

At first, Dick Girocco thought the planes buzzing over
the cavernous Naval Air Station Ford Island hangars were
U.S. Army fighters. He and another sailor went outside,
looked up and saw an olive-green dive bomber heading
straight toward them.

"I saw the bomb drop. I thought, 'It's some Army pilot
dropping flour bags on us, trying to get a good laugh/"
Girocco recalls. But when the bomb hit and exploded,
the 20-year-old seaman second class realized the
bomber was not an Army plane.

That's how World War II began for Girocco, who was a
member of VP-24, a squadron of PBY Catalina flying
boats based at hangars on Ford Island, which sits in the
middle of Pearl Harbor.

Today, Girocco is 90 and an all-but-fulltime volunteer
at the Pacific Aviation Museum. He mans a table at the
entrance to Hangar 79, where the museum restores
aircraft from World War II and other conflicts. Girocco is
there to share his memories from his 20-year career in
naval aviation.

Of course, the fact that he survived the Pearl Harbor
attack makes his presence in Hangar 79 all the more
important. He was just down the tarmac when Japanese
planes dropped their first bombs.

Ask Girocco what he remembers about the attack -
perhaps the most common question he's asked by
visitors - and he'll tell you. "The noise. What I remember
is the noise."

Amid exploding bombs and strafing by Japanese
fighters, Girocco and his buddy ran for cover. They
eventually found a ditch that was 4 feet wide and 6 feet
deep - "the perfect foxhole," he says.

He also found flashes of humor during that dark day in
U.S. history. As he and other sailors huddled in the ditch,
a yeoman jumped through an open hangar window and
high-tailed it to their location. He was wearing his whites
-very bright whites.

"Someone in the ditch told him he couldn't get in
because the pilots would see his white uniform," Girocco
recalls, smiling. "So he ran back to the hangar. Then we
saw him running back to the ditch, pouring black ink out
of a bottle all over his whites."

DECEMBER 2011 | THE AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE 39

DAVE GOODMAN,

USS BOWFIN SUBMARINE MUSEUM & PARK

Dave Goodman is the first person most visitors speak
with at the World War II museums at Pearl Harbor, and
he's usually the last person they see when they leave.
With 400,000 people visiting the complex every year,
Goodman wouldn't have it any other way.

"I like to talk," says the Air Force veteran, who retired
as a chief master sergeant after 30 years of active duty.
He mans the bag station just outside the main gate to
the USS Arizona Memorial.

Originally from Mooresville, N.C., Goodman is a staffer
at the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park - and yes,
he's heard plenty of cracks about an Air Force veteran
working for a submarine museum.

For Goodman, it's about continuing his service. He
particularly enjoys meeting those who served aboard
Bowfin, which launched Dec. 7, 1942, and was nicknamed
the "Pearl Harbor Avenger."

"Those guys are pretty amazing," he says, sounding
more like a kid in awe of a sports hero than a 71-year-old
veteran who saw service stateside and overseas.

The Bowfin site, located at the northern edge of the
Arizona Memorial Visitor Center, is dedicated to the
World War ll-era silent service, but has displays from
postwar subs, too. The museum's centerpiece is Bowfin,
which did nine war patrols during World War II and sank
39 Japanese merchant ships, four Japanese warships,
and a Vichy French merchant ship in a Japanese
convoy off Saigon.

Goodman says he's met visitors from
across the United States, Canada, Europe,
the Middle East, Japan, the Philippines,
"even Iran."

After he retired from the Air Force,
Goodman worked as night terminal manager at
Hickam Air Force Base. When he retired, he
thought he'd be happy just relaxing with his
morning cup of coffee and cigar. Turns out
there are only so many cigars you can
smoke in a morning.

So Goodman reports for duty five
days a week, with a big smile. "I'm not
going to retire anytime soon."

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that morn-
ing killed 2,341 Navy, Marine and Army person-
nel. It also resulted in 49 civilian deaths, a few of
which were caused by U.S. anti-aircraft shells
falling on Honolulu. The attack led to the United
States' direct involvement in World War II, which
had been under way in Europe for two years. And
although it wasn't obvious yet, with the burning
hulks of U.S. warships scattered across Pearl
Harbor, Japan's sneak attack also marked the
beginning of the end of its military ambitions in
the vast Asia-Pacific region.

Seventy years later, with U.S. military forces
fighting wars sparked by another sneak attack,
Pearl Harbor remains both an active naval base
and a monument to a titanic struggle fought across
millions of square miles of ocean. For the dwin-
dling number of veterans who served in World
War II - particularly those who proudly call
themselves Pearl Harbor Survivors - and for many
generations that followed, "Pearl Harbor," the
name and the place, is both a rallying call and
a sobering reminder of the grim sacrifice required
to achieve victory.

Today, it is home to four historic sites that
chronicle the devastating attack on U.S. military
forces in 1941, and the long and difficult road to
victory, which came four years later. More than
400,000 tourists from around the world visit the
complex each year.

At the center is the the USS Arizona
Memorial, which, along with smaller

M monuments to Oklahoma and Utah,
M is part of the National Park Service's
^Hl World War II Valor in the Pacific National
Lom Monument. Dedicated in 1962,

■ ^^m^** t ^ ie Arizona memorial

W 0 is also the oldest

THE AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE

of the four Pearl Harbor sites. A white building
straddles the rusting remains of the battleship's
hull, parts of which still break the surface of the
harbor. There is usually a rainbow-colored sheen
on the water around the memorial, caused by oil
that continues to leak from the sunken ship.

Adjacent to the Arizona Memorial Visitor Center
is the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park,
which is dedicated to Navy submariners who
served in World War II - particularly the 3,500
who never returned and remain on eternal patrol.
Called the Pearl Harbor Avenger, Bowfin launched
on Dec. 7, 1942.

The most imposing of the four Pearl Harbor sites
is the Battleship Missouri Memorial. An 887-foot,
45,000-ton leviathan moored along what was
Battleship Row, BB 63 was the Navy's last battle-
ship. Though her huge 16-inch guns were fired in
three wars over five decades - World War II, the
Korean War and Operation Desert Storm - Missouri
is best known as the site of Japan's official surren-
der to Allied forces in Tokyo Bay on Sept. 2, 1945,
ending World War II.

The symbolism of the mighty Missouri berthed
just south of the Arizona Memorial, the alpha and
omega of America in World War II, is not lost on
any visitor to Pearl Harbor.

The youngest site is the Pacific Aviation Museum
Pearl Harbor. Like the Missouri Memorial, it is
located on Ford Island, occupying two hangars
that were part of what was once Naval Air Station
Ford Island. The museum documents, with
restored and unrestored aircraft, the critical role
played by aviation both in World War II and
conflicts since. One of the most dramatic displays
at the museum is also the most static: glass panes
at Hangar 79 with bullet holes from the attack.

Over the years, I've had the opportunity to visit
many battlegrounds of U.S. military history. I've
walked through the tall grass at Gettysburg and
strolled over the rolling hills of Manassas. I lived
for many years on Saipan, and grew up exploring
the jungle that has grown over the detritus of one
of the costliest battles of World War II. A few
years ago, I rode on a small boat to Peleliu,
where U.S. forces labored for 10 bloody
weeks to win a battle that the brass
said would take just a few days.
The losses were
horrific.

BOB KINZLER,

USS ARIZONA MEMORIAL

The three men wearing matching Hawaiian shirts and
military-style caps sit at a table, looking like typical
retirees about to sip their morning coffee at McDonald's.
But the line of people waiting to meet them is long.
Visitors are excited to meet these octogenarians.

The men are members of the Pearl Harbor Survivors
Association, a select group of veterans who were on
duty in Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941, when Japanese naval air
forces attacked Pearl Harbor, as well as other Navy and
Army Air Force facilities on the island of Oahu. Some
3,000 members of the organization are still living, but
only 10 reside on Oahu.

One of them is Robert "Bob" Kinzler, an Army veteran
who served with Headquarters Company, 27th Infantry
at Schofield Barracks on the day of the attack. He's the
dean of this group, having worked with the National
Park Service's Volunteers-ln-Parks program since 1985.
He has the most seniority of the Pearl Harbor survivors
who greet visitors to the USS Arizona Memorial.

Some visitors bring books about the attack for the
veterans to sign; others are pleased to receive a
personalized, autographed information sheet on each
one. The vets are careful to ask each person's name, how
to spell it, and where they're from. Most have a quick
story or two to add about a visitor's hometown.

Kinzler was a Morse code operator at Schofield in
Central Oahu, well known as the setting for 1953's "From
Here To Eternity," starring Frank Sinatra and Burt
Lancaster. The infantry post escaped major damage, but
neighboring Wheeler Army Airfield was hit.

Kinzler joined the Army Reserve after the war, and
retired in 1962 as a captain. By that time, he was an
executive at a major sugar-refinery plant on Oahu.

At 89, Kinzler could be taking it easy. But most
weekday mornings, he sits inside the entrance to the
Arizona Memorial Visitor Center, greeting people,
exchanging a quip or two, shaking hands and hearing
quick stories about the World War II service of
someone's family member.

Kinzler takes it all in stride with a quiet smile, a word
or two and a handshake. As the line shrinks, he turns to
me and says, "I have no intention of quitting!"

DECEMBER 2011

THE AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE

STERLING CALE

Now 90 and commander of
American Legion Post 15 in
Honolulu, Cale was a Navy hospital
corpsman on Dec. 7, 1941. Hearing
explosions, he looked up and saw
the distinctive red "meatball" of the
Japanese fighters and bombers.

Acting on his own, Cale found a
fire ax, broke into an armory, and
began handing out rifles and
ammunition. He then got on an
officer's barge to Ford Island, where
he used his training as a diver to
help get people out of Oklahoma.

"In four hours, I picked up only
46 people. Some were dead already.
Some were badly burned. And some
were just tired because they had
jumped off the ship or had been
blown off and had to get to shore."

Three days later, Cale led divers in
recovering bodies from Arizona. The
gruesome job took six weeks.

Cale served as a corpsman with
the Marines' 1st Division on
Guadalcanal, and saw heavy action
with the 5th Regimental Combat
Team during the Korean War.

In 1955, he was part of a U.S.
military observer team sent to
Vietnam to work with French forces.
He remained there with the Army
through the late 1960s, and after he
retired, the State Department
recruited him to go back to Vietnam
to run various programs. He served
in country until 1974.

Shortly after the Pearl Harbor
attack, Cale was told he would be
court-martialed for breaking down
an armory door to hand out
weapons and ammunition. But
cooler heads prevailed, and he
instead got a medal for his actions.

AL RODRIGUES

Rodrigues, 91, was a naval
reservist assigned to Pearl Harbor in
1941. At 3:30 a.m. on Dec. 7, he
reported for duty at the Navy's
Section Base, where he heard
reports that the destroyer Ward had
sighted and fired on what it
believed was an enemy submarine
near the entrance to the harbor.

Rodrigues had just sat down to
breakfast when the first bombs fell.
The meal was forgotten as he and
other sailors scrambled to find
weapons to fire back.

"The planes were flying low
enough that we could see the pilots'
faces," he recalls. "I'm sure we hit
the planes. But a 30-caliber rifle isn't
going to bring a plane down."

Having grown up in Hawaii, half
of Rodrigues' closest friends were of
Japanese ancestry. "It was an odd
feeling, hard to explain. Being born
and raised here, you just had to
accept what was happening."

In 1943, Rodrigues was assigned
to USS Washington, which saw
action in the Pacific. The battleship
has the distinction of being the only
Navy ship to sink a Japanese
battleship in an engagement.

After the war, Rodrigues went on
to serve 24 years in the Navy,
retiring as a chief petty officer.

"To be a Pearl Harbor survivor,
you had to have been on the island.
You didn't have to be at Pearl
Harbor. So there were about 70,000
servicemen and women who were
on duty on Oahu, plus two ships
within three miles of Pearl Harbor.
They were all Pearl Harbor survivors.
At the beginning of this year, there
were only a thousand remaining."

HERBWEATHERWAX

An Army draftee, Weatherwax
was at his family's home in Honolulu
on a weekend pass when Japanese
forces attacked. He caught a bus
back to Schofield Barracks, a ride
that today takes about 45 minutes.
In 1941, with no freeways crossing
Oahu, the drive took much longer.
He can't forget those anxious hours.

"When I looked across (Aiea), I
saw all the damage. The Arizona was
engulfed in flames. The Oklahoma
had been torpedoed, and she
keeled over on her side. I could see
little objects scrambling on the hull.
The sky was just black with smoke."

Weatherwax was assigned to the
298th Infantry Regiment, a unit of
the Territorial National Guard. "We
were expecting the Japanese to
follow up with an invasion force.
Everybody was all hair-triggered,
shooting at anything that made
noise at night. So many animals got
machine-gunned as a result."

After six months, Army troops
from the mainland relieved the
298th. By that time, the unit had
been gutted by the removal of
soldiers of Japanese ancestry.

Weatherwax ended up in the
69th Infantry, which punched
through the German Siegfried Line
in February 1945. By war's end, he
was anxious to get home and go to
work as an electrician.

Today, Weatherwax is known as
"Uncle Herb" by his fellow Pearl
Harbor veterans. He doesn't miss a
chance to meet visitors.

"All of us who are doing this, it
has added on to our lives. Here I am
now, 94 years old, and just feel fit as
a fiddle when I come out here."

42 THE AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2011

t You fought for us. Now let us fight for you. M

MESOTHELIOMA & ASBESTOS-RELATED LUNG CANCER

The Simmons Law Firm proudly represents veterans and families
affected by mesothelioma and asbestos-related cancers throughout
the United States. We have recovered millions of dollars from asbes-
tos companies on their behalf, affording them the medical care and
security they deserve. Several of our attorneys, including founding
partner John Simmons, are military veterans themselves. If you or
someone you love has mesothelioma, we will come to you. We are
committed to this fight and have pledged over $20 million to cancer
research. Contact us today for a free legal consultation.

SIMMONS

ATTORNEYS AT LAW

LEARN MORE
1-877-312-1856
www.simmonsfirm.com/AL

FteerReviewRated

Attorney Advertisement. Simmons Browder Gianaris Angelides & Barnerd LLC.
One Court St., Alton, IL 62002. The choice of a lawyer is an important decision that
should not be based solely upon ads. Prior results don't guarantee a similar outcome.

USS Arizona on Dec. 7, 1941

Still, nothing quite prepares you for the first time
you step aboard the Arizona Memorial. Architect
Alfred Preis' monument is stark yet deeply mov-
ing, leading one to reflect on the sailors and
Marines still entombed in the wreck. At the
western end of the monument, in a chapel-like
room, the names of every soul who went down
with his ship that day are etched in stone.

Stepping back to look out over the starboard or
port sides of the monument, Arizona's hull can
clearly be seen. Under the rusted deck are the
remains of those who died aboard Arizona, and in
recent years, the cremated remains of many of the
attack's survivors have been sprinkled there -
their last wishes being to join their shipmates in
eternal rest.

Those visiting the Pearl Harbor complex should
take a couple of days to fully experience all four
museums, and to talk with the many veterans who
are staff members and volunteers there. A number
of them are survivors of the attack.

Dick Girocco, a volunteer at the Pacific Aviation
Museum Pearl Harbor, was a 20-year-old seaman
second class in December 1941, part of the crew
that manned a PBY Catalina flying boat out of
Naval Air Station Ford Island. Dick is now 90 and
walks with a cane, but his sense of humor and
clear memory don't need assistance of any
kind. As we chatted in the museum's cavernous
Hangar 79, I marveled that on Dec. 7, 1941,
Girocco was just down the way at another hangar,
dodging bullets and shrapnel, finally finding
safety in a ditch.

Spend enough time at the Pearl Harbor museums
and you soon realize they don't just testify to the
past. They bring it to life. For example, you can't
fully appreciate the sacrifices of U.S. submariners
in World War II until you try to navigate the
cramped corridors of Bowfin. There's a reason the
silent service only took volunteers, and looking at
a shower stall one-third the size of a broom closet
brings home the challenges of serving aboard a
submarine of that era.

I was fortunate enough to be aboard the Battle-
ship Missouri Memorial when a group of eighth

MIKE PAGANO,

USS MISSOURI MEMORIAL

You don't have to be a sailor to be impressed by
the battleship Missouri. It's huge, and the numbers -
887 feet long, 108 feet wide, displacing 45,000 tons
unloaded - don't do it justice. Stand near the bow and
look toward two forward turrets hosting six 16-inch
guns, and your first thought is, "Hell yes, size matters."

It may be 67 years old and decommissioned, but
Missouri looks ready to steam out of port into harm's
way. Port, of course, is Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, where it's
one of four museums that honor the U.S. forces that
won a hard-fought victory in World War II.

The battleship is also the office for Mike Pagano,
military liaison for the USS Missouri Memorial
Association, the nonprofit organization charged with
keeping it shipshape as a museum and memorial.
Pagano is also responsible for coordinating use of the
battleship by military organizations. He's a busy man.

It isn't surprising that the iconic battleship, site of
Japan's surrender in 1945, is a popular venue for military
re-enlistment or retirement ceremonies. What is
surprising is that the huge ship is still used for active
military training, even as it's moored at Ford Island in
the middle of Pearl Harbor. The Navy has trained
boarding teams aboard Missouri, and SEALS have used
it as a training ship for everything from learning how to
quietly get up the sides of the huge ship to removing
dummy limpet mines from its hull.

The Missouri Memorial Association doesn't charge
the military for its use of the famed battleship. "It's our
way of saying we appreciate what the military is doing
for our country," Pagano says.

Pagano served in the Army from 1970 to 1976. That
gets him occasional grief from Navy types, but he's
quick to tell of Missouri's long and close relationship
with the Army. Gen. Douglas MacArthur chose Missouri
to be the venue for the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay
on Sept. 2, 1945. And he notes that every time the ship's
huge 16-inch guns fired in anger, they did so in support
of Army forces on the ground.

A former tour guide aboard Missouri before
becoming military liaison, Pagano speaks of the huge
ship in intimate terms, calling it "a beautiful lady."

44 THE AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2011

LIFETIME

LIMITED WARRANTY

Safety

never** felt *f

J ■ TM

so good^

Doctors have always known about hydrotherapy as effective treatment for
stress, anxiety, insomnia, arthritis and muscle pain. Now, you can enjoy the
same benefits with a Safe Step Walk-In Tub.

Our tub provides therapeutic relief from all kinds of aches and pains.
Plus, ours comes with more standard features than any other tub, including
carefully engineered dual hydro massage and air bubble jets— both
strategically placed to target sore muscles and joints in your legs and back.

Safety never felt so good with a built-in support bar and a less than 4-inch
step up, so you barely have to lift your feet to get in. Installation is included,
we provide excellent service and our tub comes with a lifetime warranty.
So take your first step towards feeling great and stay in the homeyou love.

WHEN YOU
ENTIONTHISAD

for a limited time only

Safe^Vstep

WALK- 1 INI

www.safesteptub.com

Call Toll-free 1-888-656-6176

now for more Information and for our Senior Discounts

graders from St. John Vianney Parish School of
Kailua arrived. The boys and girls were eager to
learn what it was like to serve aboard a U.S.
battleship during World War II, and experience
how its sailors lived. Indeed, they were assigned
narrow racks in the enlisted sleeping quarters -
girls on one side of a corridor, boys on the other.
They stayed the night aboard Missouri, and I heard
they'd later experience a shipboard fire drill.

Watching the youngsters travel Missouri's
passageways, learning to step up and over to get
through a doorway, I remembered roaming the
fields of Gettysburg as a kid. It was one thing to
read an account of that epic battle, but something
quite different to stand on Little Round Top and
try to imagine the unsuccessful and costly
Confederate charge up the rise.

Another veteran who spends his days at Pearl
Harbor is David Goodman, a 71-year-old retired Air
Force chief master sergeant. For many visitors, he's
the face of the Pearl Harbor museums. As a staffer
at the Bowfin museum, Goodman mans the bag-
gage station where visitors must check anything
bigger than a purse (the museums, after all, are on
an active military base).

I asked Dave to tell me the most unusual ques-
tion he'd been asked during his nine years at the
museum. He thought for a moment and replied,
"Where is the USS Arizona?" He added, "Yes, they
want to know where the ship is now."

And that's why it is so important to educate our
younger generations. I couldn't help but be encour-
aged when I saw those students from St. John
Vianney come aboard Missouri. OK, they were
giggling and wide-eyed and didn't turn toward the
battleship's stern to salute the U.S. flag as they
came aboard. But I'm betting that by the end of
their tour aboard Missouri, they knew Arizona's
location, and why that memorial, along with the
others at Pearl Harbor, are as important to them
as they are to their parents, grandparents and
great-grandparents. ||

Floyd K. Takeuchi is a writer and photographer
living in Hawaii.

WWII VALOR IN THE PACIFIC NATIONAL
MONUMENT -USS ARIZONA, USS OKLAHOMA
AND USS UTAH MEMORIALS

The Arizona, Oklahoma and Utah memorials are
operated and maintained by the National Park
Service as part of the World War II Valor in the
Pacific National Monument. Visitors to the Arizona
Memorial take a Navy launch to the site. The
Oklahoma Memorial is on Ford Island next to the
battleship Missouri, and can be accessed via the
Missouri shuttle bus. Access to the Utah Memorial
is limited to those with base access. The visitor
center is open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission
is free. Tickets are issued on a first-come, first-
served basis. The first tour is offered at 8 a.m. and
the last leaves at 3 p.m.

(808)422-3300
@ www.nps.gov/valr

USS BOWFIN SUBMARINE MUSEUM & PARK

Adjacent to the Pearl Harbor Visitors Center, the
USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park is dedicated
to the sacrifice of the more than 3,500 submarine
sailors lost in World War II. The museum is open
daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Combined general
admission is $10 per adult and $4 per child ages 4
to 12.

6 (808) 423-1341
@ www.bowfin.org

BATTLESHIP MISSOURI MEMORIAL

Missouri served in World War II, Korea and
Operation Desert Storm. Best known as the site of
Japan's World War II surrender, the "Mighty Mo" is
open daily on Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, from 8
a.m. to 5 p.m. General admission, which includes
the choice between several optional tours, is $20
per adult and $10 per child ages 4 to 12.

1-877-MIGHTYMO (1-877-644-4896)
@ www.ussmissouri.org

PACIFIC AVIATION MUSEUM PEARL HARBOR

The Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor occupies
the World War II hangars and control tower on Ford
Island. Giving visitors a front-row seat to the Pacific
theater and its aircraft, the museum illustrates how
aviation turned the tide of the war. The museum is
open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. General admission
is $20 per adult and $10 per child ages 4 to 12.

6 (808)441-1000

@ www.pacificaviationmuseum.org

46 THE AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2011

EdenPURE ranked #1 in North America

Save $192 - biggest savings ever

Bob Vila, America's Favorite Home
Improvement Expert,
Canton, Ohio

I know why millions of
Americans are saving on their
heating bills with the Eden-
PURE® Infrared Portable
Heater.

And now you can save up
to $192, our lowest prices
ever on the new 2012 Eden-
PURE® Personal Heater. The
heater I personally rank #1 in
North America.

For over 30 years as your
home improvement television
host, I have reviewed and ex-
perienced thousands of prod-
ucts. I have an EdenPURE®
in my Massachusetts home
and found it to be a very safe
and reliable source of portable
heat. This is one of those few
comfort investments I can rec-
ommend for your home that
will truly pay dividends.

We all know heating costs
are expected to remain at
record levels. The cost of heat-
ing our homes will continue to
be a significant burden on the
family budget. The Eden-
PURE® can cut your heating
bills, pay for itself in a matter
of weeks, and then start putting
a great deal of extra money in
your pocket after that.

With over one million sat-
isfied customers around the
world, the new EdenPURE®
heats better, faster, saves
more on heating bills, and
runs almost silent.

A major cause of residen-
tial fires in the United States
is portable heaters. The choice
of fire and safety profession-
als everywhere, the Eden-
PURE® has no exposed heat-
ing elements that can cause a
fire. The outside of the Eden-
PURE® only gets warm to the
touch so that it will not burn
children or pets. And your pet
may be just like my dog who
has reserved a favorite spot
near the EdenPURE®.

Accept no imitations.
The EdenPURE® can also help
you feel better. Unlike Eden-
PURE® imitators, it will not re-
duce humidity or oxygen in the
room. These imitators use ce-

Never be cold again

works:

Heats floor to the
same temperature
as ceiling. • — w

1. Electricity ignites powerful
SYLVANIA infrared lamps.

2. The quartz infrared lamp gently warms
the patented copper heating chambers.

3. The soft heat "rides"
the humidity in the
room and provides
even, moist, soft heat
ceiling to floor and
wall to wall without
reducing oxygen and
humidity.

SYLVANIA is a registered trademark of OSRAM SYLVANIA Inc. used under license.

Firemen and safety professionals choose EdenPURE®. We all read
about space heaters and the danger of fire. The EdenPURE® has
no exposed heating elements that can cause a fire. And your pet
may be just like my dog that has reserved a favorite spot near the
EdenPURE®. - Bob Vila

ramie plates instead of our
patented copper. Cheap ceram-
ic plates reduce humidity, dry
out your sinuses and make your
skin dry. With other heating
sources, you'll notice that you
get sleepy when the heat comes
on because they are burning up
oxygen.

The advanced space-age
EdenPURE® also heats the
room evenly, wall to wall and
floor to ceiling. Other heating
sources heat rooms unevenly
with most of the heat concen-
trated high and to the center of
the room. And as you know,
portable heaters only heat an
area a few feet around the
heater. With the EdenPURE®,
the temperature will not vary
in any part of the room.

How can a person cut
their heating bill with the
EdenPURE®? First, the Eden-
PURE® uses less energy to cre-
ate heat than many other
sources, but that is just part of
why it will cut a person's heat-
ing bill. The EdenPURE® will
heat a room in minutes. You
will immediately notice the
difference! Therefore, you can
turn the heat down in your

house to as low as 50 degrees,
but the room you are occupy-
ing, which has the Eden-
PURE®, will be warm and
comfortable.

Your EdenPURE® easily
moves from room to room.
Using zone heating keeps you
comfortable and reduces your
heating bills. This can drasti-

cally cut heating bills; in some
instances, the savings may be
substantial.

The EdenPURE® will pay
for itself in weeks. It will
keep a great deal of extra
money in a user's pocket. Be-
cause of today's spiraling gas,
oil, propane, and other energy
costs, the EdenPURE® will pro-
vide even greater savings as
time goes by.

The EdenPURE® Personal
Heater comes with a compre-
hensive three year warranty
and a 60-day, no questions
asked, satisfaction guarantee -
EdenPURE® will even pay for

the return shipping. There is
absolutely no risk. And Eden-
PURE® is the only portable
heater with a National Service
Network.

How to order:

During this special 10 day
offer we can deliver to your
home our Personal Heater
which comfortably covers an
area up to 350 square feet.

During our special, you
are eligible for a $175 DIS-
COUNT PLUS FREE SHIP-
PING AND HANDLING FOR
A TOTAL SAVINGS OF UP
TO $192 on the EdenPURE®
Personal Heater. Our largest

discount ever. This special
offer expires in 10 days. If
you order after that, we re-
serve the right to either accept
or reject order requests at the
discounted price. See my at-
tached Authorized Discount
Coupon to take advantage of
this savings opportunity.

The EdenPURE® carries a
60-day unconditional, no-risk
guarantee. If you are not total-
ly satisfied, return it at our ex-
pense and your purchase price
will be refunded. No ques-
tions asked. There is also a 3-
year warranty for the Personal
Heater.

BOB VILA'S AUTHORIZED DISCOUNT COUPON

The price of the EdenPURE® Personal Heater is $372 plus $17 shipping and handling but, with this Authorized Discount
Coupon, you will receive a $175 discount, free shipping and handling and be able to get the EdenPURE® Personal Heater for
only $197 delivered. The Personal Heater has an optional remote for only $12. After 10 days we reserve the right to either accept
or reject order requests at the discounted price.

Check below the number you want (limit 3 per customer)
□ Personal Heater, number

□ I am ordering within 10 days, therefore I get a $175
discount, free shipping and handling and my price is
only $197 for the Personal Heater delivered.

□ I am ordering past 10 days, therefore I pay full price of
$372 plus $17 shipping & handling for the Personal
Heater.

□ Optional Remote $ 12, number

• To claim your discount and order by phone: call toll-
free 1-800-366-1315. Operators are on duty Monday -
Friday 6am - 3am, Saturday 7am - 12am and Sunday
7am - 11pm, EST. Give operator your Offer Code on
this coupon.

• To claim your discount and order online: visit
www.edenpure.com and enter Offer Code EHS4085.

• To claim your discount and order by mail: fill out and mail
in this Authorized Discount Coupon Form.

STATE ZIP CODE

_ in: □ Check □ Money Order

CITY

Enclosed is $

(Make check payable to EdenPURE) or charge my:

□ VISA □ MasterCard □ Am. Exp./OptimaD Discover/Novus

Account No. Exp. Date I

Signature

MAIL TO: EdenPURE®

Offer Code EHS4085
7800 Whipple Ave. N.W.
Canton, OH 44767

MYAMERICA

"Our people are paradoxically straightforward.
We are competitive and joyous, blessed to live in
a land of magnificent human and
natural resources. Possessing at once
seemingly incongruous qualities, we are
fiercely peace-loving, demanding
but generous, mourning and
remembering, raucous and
respectful, independent yet loyal.
But we are always free and faithful
forever to our country, our divine
Creator, our families, and those
who wish to join with us in
mutual hope and opportunity."

Karl-Albert Lindblad

Command Chaplain, U.S. Coast Guard Training Center, Yorktown, Va

During high school, Lindblad worked as a messenger boy at the
World Trade Center in New York City. On 9/11, the Catholic priest was
the first Navy chaplain at Ground Zero, counseling victims' families and
using his firsthand knowledge of the towers to guide rescuers in their
search for survivors. Lindblad also helped arrange the dispatch of a
Navy hospital ship from Baltimore to New York Harbor.

He is a member of Charles A. Fowler American Legion Post 160 in
Great Neck, N.Y.

LINDBLAD
us coast am

48 THE AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2011

HARBOR FREIGHT TOOLS

Quality Tools at Ridiculously Low Prices

LIFETIME WARRANTY

ON ALL HAND TOOLS!

FACTORY DIRECT
TO YOU!

How does Harbor Freight Tools sell high
quality tools at such ridiculously low
prices? We buy direct from the factories
who also supply the major brands and
sell direct to you. It's just that simple!
See for yourself at one of our 370
Stores Nationwide and use this 20% Off
Coupon on one of our 7,000 products*,
plus pick up a Free 9 LED Aluminum
Flashlight, a $6.99 value. We stock
Shop Equipment, Hand Tools, Tarps,
Compressors, Air & Power Tools,
Woodworking Tools, Welders, Tool
Boxes, Generators, and much more.

• Over 20 Million Satisfied Customers!

• 1 Year Competitor's Low Price Guarantee

• No Hassle Return Policy!

• 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed!

Nobody Beats Our Quality,
Service and Price!

7 FT. 4" x 9 FT. 6"
ALL PURPOSE WEATHER
k RESISTANT TARP

LOT NO. 877

SAVE,
|50% $349

REG. PRICE $6.99

I HARBOR FREIGHT TOOLS - LIMIT 9

This valuable coupon is good anywhere you shop Harbor Freight Tools (retail stores, online, or 800 number) Cam
)e used with any other discount or coupon. Coupon not valid on prior purchases after 30 days from original purch;
late with receipt Offer good while supplies last Coupon cannot be bought, sold, or transferred. Original coupon m
)e presented in-store. or with your order form,
ir entered online in order to receive the coupon
discount. Valid through 3/15/12. Limit one
I coupon per customer and one coupon per day.

ii mi iii 1 1 iii! iii i inn inn mi iii

ADJUSTABLE SHADE
AUTO-DARKENING
WELDING HELMET

LOT NO. 46092

$3499

REG. PRICE $69.99

HARBOR FREIGHT TOOLS - LIMIT 5

I This valuable coupon is good anywhere you shop Harbor Freight Tools (retail
I be used with any other discount or coupon. Coupon not valid on prior purc u -

date with receipt. Offer good while supplies last. Coupon cannot be bought,
I be presented in-store, or with your order form,

)r entered online in order to receive the coupon

discount. Valid through 3/15/12. Limit one
I coupon per customer and one coupon per day.

ar transferred. Original coupon m

iii mi i iii iii ii iii ii mi 111 1 11 ii 1 111

LOT NO.
66619

800 RATED WATTS/
900 MAX. WATTS
PORTABLE GENERATOR

CHICAGO

IjEHftgfceneratnrsl

3f $8999

REG. PRICE $149.99

. HARBOR FREIGHT TOOLS - LIMIT 5

This valuable coupon is good anywhere you shop Harbor Freight Tools (retail stores, online, or 800 number). Cannot
| be used with any other discount or coupon. Coupon not valid on prior purchases after 30 days from original purchase
. date with receipt. Offer good while supplies last. Coupon cannot be bought, sold, or transferred. Original coupon must
"~ - ir order form,
e the coupon

discount. Valid through 3/15/12. Limit one
I coupon per customer and one coupon per day.

hi 1111 mi iii inn mi mm inn

WITH ANY PURCHASE

3-1/2" SUPER BRIGHT
NINE LED ALUMINUM
FLASHLIGHT

ITEM 65020

REG. PRICE $6.99

HARBOR FREIGHT TOOLS - LIMIT 1 Free item available with any purchase. Cannot be
used with any other discount or coupon. Coupon not valid on prior purchases. Offer
good while supplies last. Shipping & Handling charges may apply if free item not picked
up in-store. Coupon cannot be bought, sold or transferred. Original coupon must be
presented in-store, or with your order form, or entered online in order to receive the
offer. Valid through 3/15/12. Limit one coupon per customer and one coupon per day.

I lllil II 1 1 1 1 Mill Mill 1 1 1 1 1 II II ! Ill

921 SOS SO

12" RATCHET
BAR CLAMP/SPREADER

PITTSBURGH

LOT NO. 46807

HARBOR FREIGHT TOOLS - LIMIT 1 Use this coupon to save 20% on any one single item purchased when
you shop at a Harbor Freight Tools store. * Cannot be used with any other discount or coupon. Coupon not
valid on any of thefollowing: gift cards, Inside Track Club membership, extended service plans, Compressors,
Generators, Tool Cabinets, Welders, Floor Jacks, Campbell Hausfeld products, open box items, Parking Lot
Sale items, Blowout Sale items, Day After Thanksgiving Sale items, Tent Sale items, 800 number orders or
online orders. Coupon not valid on prior purchases after 30 days from original purchase date with original
receipt. Coupon cannot be bought, sold, or transferred. Original coupon must be presented in-store in
order to receive the offer. Valid through 3/1 5/1 2. Limit one coupon per customer and one coupon per day.

I II II 1 1 1 II I II ll II 1 1 I II I III III

39B58991

SAVE
77%

$-|99

REG. PRICE $8.99

) number). Cannot be used

Offer good while supplies last. Coupon c
with your order form, or entered online in oraer to receive
the coupon discount. Valid through 3/15/12. Limit
one coupon per customer and one coupon per day.

jr transferred. Original coupon m

LOT NO. 97626

llllll II II III Mill II

AUTOMATIC
BATTERY FLOAT
SAUF CHARGER

Wjjjt LOT NO. 42292

61 % $499

Not for use on
AGM

REG. PRICE $12.99

80 PIECE ROTARY
TOOLSET

, drilfmaster

ipWL SAVE
W 72%

HARBOR FREIGHT TOOLS - LIMIT 8

This valuable coupon is good anywhere you shop Harbor Freight Tools (retail stores, online, or 800 number). Cannot t
with any other discount or coupon. Coupon not valid on prior purchases after 30 days from original purchase date with receipt.
Offer good while supplies last. Coupon cannot be bought, sold, or transferred. Original coupon must be presented in-store, or

Item
68303
shown

$699

HARBOR FREIGHT TOOLS -LIMIT 6 PRICE $24.99

This valuable coupon is good anywhere you shop Harbor Freight Tools (retail stores, online, or 800 number). Cannot
be used with any other discount or coupon Coupon not valid on prior purchases after 30 days from original purchase
date with receipt. Offer good while supplies last. Coupon cannot be bought, sold, or transferred Original coupon must
be presented in-store, or with your order f-~
or entered online in order to receive the coupon
discount. Valid through 3/15/12. Limit one
coupon per customer and one coupon per day.

i ii inn mi iiiiii in in inn

OSCILLATING
MULTIFUNCTION onyc
POWER TOOL jgS/J 1

LOT NO. 68303/67256/68861 vv '°

8 Functions: Sanding, Cut Flooring,
Cut Metal, Scrape Concrete,
Remove Grout, Cut Plastic,
Scrape Flooring, Plunge Cut

$1999

REG.
PRICE
$59.99

HARBOR FREIGHT TOOLS - LIMIT 5

This valuable coupon is good anywhere you shop Harbor Freight Tools (retail stores, online, or 800 number). Cannot
be used with any other discount or coupon. Coupon not valid on prior purchases after 30 days from original purchase
date with receipt. Offer good while supplies last. Coupon cannot be bought, sold, or transferred. Original coupon must
be presented in-store, or with your order form,
or entered online in order to receive the coupon
discount. Valid through 3/15/12. Limit one
coupon per customer and one coupon per day.

i II I I II I I 19 1 1 llll II II

SAVE
$50

2000 LB.
ELECTRIC WINCH
WITH REMOTE CONTROL
AND AUTOMATIC BRAKE

$49

QQ REG

99 PRICE

$99.99

[Bunker Hill Security* WIRELESS

DRIVEWAY

ALERT SYSTEM

HARBOR FREIGHT TOOLS - LIMIT 4

date with receipt. Offer good while supplies last. Coup
be presented in-store, or with your order form,
or entered online in order to receive the coupon
discount. Valid through 3/15/12. Limit one
coupon per customer and one coupon per day.

lores, online, or 800 number). Cannot
ss after 30 days from original purchase
m cannot De rjougni, sold, or transferred. Original coupon must

llll MM I II II III II I!

LOT NO. 93068

Or! If L Requires one 9 volt

ma/ and three C batteries
/Q (sold separately).

P $1399

REG.
PRICE
$29.99

HARBOR FREIGHT TOOLS - LIMIT 4

Ill llllll II II llll I III II

GENTRALPNEUMATIC
3 GALLON, 100 PSI
0ILLESS PANCAKE
AIR COMPRESSOR

SAVE LOTNO

46% 95275

$39"

REG.
PRICE
$74.99

HARBOR FREIGHT TOOLS - LIMIT 3

II III III II llllll

US*GENERAL X
11 DRAWER 9
ROLLER CABINET

INCLUDES: LOT NO.

• 6 Drawer Top Chest 67421

• 2 Drawer Middle Section

• 3 Drawer Roller Cabinet

$14999

REG.
PRICE
$299.99

HARBOR FREIGHT TOOLS - LIMIT 4

llllll II II II III III II

Order Online at HarborFreight.com and We'll Ship Your Order FedEx,

370 Stores Nationwide

RAPID FIRE

I 1

SILENT

SENTINELS

During World War II,
the Army used
observation towers to
protect Delaware Bay
from enemy attacks.

BY BEN BARBER

BHFR

For 70 years, visitors to Delaware's beaches have gone
swimming in the shadow of strange concrete towers that are a
grim reminder of a time when America was at war on these shores.

Built between 1939 and 1942, the 11 observation towers along the
state's coastline were designed to last 20 years. But standing on
treated wooden pilings, they are likely to last another half-century.

The towers, spread over 40 miles, housed military spotters who
scanned the sea for enemy vessels that might threaten industry up
the Delaware River - the Philadelphia shipyard, chemical plants at
Wilmington, and oil refineries critical to the Allied effort.

Eight soldiers, perched at heights of up to 80 feet, would call in
coordinates if they sighted any German U-boats or warships. When
two towers sighted the same target, a fix could be determined.

Just north of the resort town of Rehoboth Beach, in what is
today Cape Henlopen State Park, twin 16-inch guns were hidden
in the wooded hills at Fort Miles, ready to blast huge shells up to
25 miles out to sea. They covered the entrance to Delaware Bay,
along with four 12-inch guns, four 6-inch guns, eight 8-inch guns
mounted on railroad cars, and other artillery.

The threat was quite real, as German submarines sank U.S. ships
along the East Coast and survivors often ended up on Delaware

beaches. One German sub
surrendered off Fort Miles at the
end of the war in 1945.

Visitors can now see the
16-inch guns up close, their
massive barrels still pointed out
to sea. And Tower 7 at Fort Miles
is open to the public, offering
visitors a chance to see where
the soldiers worked, peering
through slits in the concrete
during eight- to 12-hour shifts.

Amy C.Elliott

[ACTIVE DUTY]

Green Marines

Some Marine units in Afghanistan are
"replacing hundreds of pounds of spare
batteries in their packs with roll-up solar
panels the size of placemats to power their
battle gear," The Wall Street Journal reports.
The Marines use the solar panels to recharge
radios, GPS readers and other devices,
allowing them to carry fewer batteries and
more weaponry.

This battlefield experiment is the leading
edge of the Marine Corps' effort "to cut

per-Marine fuel use in half by 2025," according
to the Journal. The Navy and Marine Corps are
also moving toward jets that run on biofuels,
ships that use hybrid-electric technology and
entire units that rely on renewable energy.

These steps are important given that a
typical Marine uses "four times as much fuel
as his counterpart did in the early 1990s - due
to, among other things, laptops and other
electronic gear that uses electricity pumped
out by portable generators."

DoD photo by Gunnery Sgt. William Price

50 THE AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2011

At the very top, a person can look across green hills to the
coastline, the beaches and other towers, standing alone like
strange creatures left over from a science-fiction movie set. Four
more stood across Delaware Bay at Cape May, N.J., but only one
remains. Restored by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts &
Humanities in 2008, Fire Control Tower 23 is open to the public,
as well, with a spiral staircase to the watch room, interpretive
panels and wooden ladders resembling the originals used by
soldiers stationed there.

On hot summer days, as beachgoers swim in the surf or fish
from the backs of SUVs, the grim-looking watchtowers both
disturb and comfort. They remind us that there was a time when
war was necessary - and may be necessary again - to protect our
shores. And when it came, Americans rose to the challenge.

Together, the Delaware Seashore Preservation Foundation
(DSPF) and Fort Miles Historical Association are raising $300,000 to
renovate Tower 3, which is in the middle of one of the heavily
visited state beaches south of Rehoboth.

"Our goal is to preserve the tower," says Ernie Felici, the
foundation's chairman. "Fort Miles has a tower with access to
visitors. We want to do the same at Tower 3 in Dewey. It's got
parking, and it is right on Route 1, which is very heavily trafficked."

To go to Cape Henlopen, you have to make a special trip away
from the beach, he points out. If a tower could be opened for
beach crowds, Delaware would have another valuable tool for
teaching people about the state's role in World War II.

"People can't drive past without asking, 'What are those towers?
What is inside?'" Felici says. "This is a very important link to the
history of the United States in our own backyard. It's amazing that
these towers, with a 20-year life span, have lasted this long and are
still sound. They honor all who served."

Ben Barber is a frequent contributor to The American
Legion Magazine.

View a photo album of the
toastal watchtowers:
k www.legion.org/magazine

[ACTIVE DUTY]

Canine comrades

The Army and the Marine Corps are expanding their canine-unit
programs. Military Times reports that 725 military
working-dog teams are deployed in CENTCOM's war
zones, the vast majority of them in Afghanistan.

Frontline dogs, deployed with soldiers and Marines,
are able to detect explosive devices and give U.S.
personnel an early indication of the presence
of lEDs, according to the Times.

New funding will allow U.S. troops
to continue the canine program
through 2014.

U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Alexis Siekert

[VERBATIM]

"Christmas is the season for
kindling the fire of hospitality
in the hall, the genial flame of
charity in the heart.

Washington Irving, American writer, 1783-1859

"\ don't think there's anybody in
America who'd say my personality
is best-suited to being a No. 2."

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie,

brushing off talk of running for vice president

"Our design has a film noir
feel to it; it's more muscular.
Paris or London can have these
little benches, but New York
has a toughness to it."

Craig Dykers, an architect with
Snohetta Design, on the firm's $27 million plan
to revamp Times Square. The pedestrian plazas
will be covered with dark paving stones studded
with reflective metal disks to reflect neon lights.

That is not a break from 'business
as usual' but a continuation of it.
How does management intend to
bring these numbers and costs
back in line?"

Joseph Torsella, U.S. ambassador for
U.N. management and reform, telling the
United Nations that too few of its workers are
being cut and that average salaries - currently
$119,000 a year - have risen "dramatically"

44 The world has lost a
visionary. And there may
be no greater tribute to
Steve's success than the
fact that much of the
world learned of his
passing on a device
he invented

President
BarackObama,

on the legacy

of Apple
co-founder
Steve Jobs,
who died
Oct. 5 at 56

Sources: AP, The New YorkPost,
Bloomberg, POLITICO

DECEMBER 2011 THE AMERIC

RAPID FIRE

[FALL MEETINGS]

Wong talks budget cuts, veteran dropouts

During the National Exective
Committee's Fall Meetings Oct. 10-12,
National Commander Fang A. Wong
spoke to Legion leaders about his
recent meetings with VA Secretary
Eric Shinseki and dozens of members
of Congress.

On Capitol Hill, Wong outlined the
Legion's legislative agenda and sought
to protect veterans health care and
national security from looming
spending cuts. He described
his conversations with four of the
12 "supercommittee" members tasked
by President Obama with finding
ways to reduce the deficit.

"A lot of them asked, 'What are you
willing to give up?'" Wong told the
NEC. "One senator asked me to draw a
line in the sand so that they can
protect us to that line. My answer was
basically, 'Senator, we don't even
know what the sandbox looks like.'"

Wong walked away with mixed
feelings. "We have 1 percent of
Americans willing to serve, protecting
us. We have 99 percent who are not
serving. About 9 percent of the U.S.
population are veterans. So I asked
them, 'When you consider cutting,
please let the other 91 or 99 percent
go first.' That 1 percent already paid
their dues, and they shouldn't pay
several times over."

Wong also reported that he was
troubled when Shinseki told him
that 50 percent of veterans using the
Post-9/11 Gl Bill for education expenses
drop out during the first year.

Many young people who leave the
military to attend college have

difficulty adjusting to a less-structured
lifestyle, he said. VA is providing more
resources, including on-campus
counselors, to help reverse the trend.

"When they go back to school, they
need someone to make sure they stay,
at least through the first year," Wong
said. "After the first year, the retention
rate is a lot better."

Wong said that he and Shinseki
discussed ways that Legion posts near
college campuses can offer support to
student veterans.

Also during the Fall Meetings:

■ Wong told the National Executive
Committee that his fundraising efforts
will largely focus on the Child Welfare
Foundation and The American Legion
Legacy Scholarship Fund.

■ National Economic Commission
Chairman Harold Barnett announced
that the Legion will sponsor a national
credentialing summit in early 2012,
bringing together key stakeholders to
identify ways to improve credentialing
opportunities for transitioning
servicemembers and veterans.

■ Retired Maj. Gen. Jason Kamiya,
senior vice president of USAA,
presented Wong with a check for
$1.24 million for American Legion
programs. USAA, the Legion's
preferred provider of financial
services, donates to Legion programs
when a member joins USAA and
purchases insurance or banking
products.

■ Legionnaires raised over $13,000 for
the National Emergency Fund and
over $6,400 for the Legacy
Scholarship Fund.

[FALL MEETINGS]

Resolutions

The following are key resolutions passed by
the National Executive Committee during the
2011 Fall Meetings. The full-text versions of all
resolutions are available by contacting the
National Headquarters Library.

y (317)630-1200

U library@legion.org

AMERICANISM

48 Encourage respectful singing of the
national anthem at sporting events,
and proper attention given to it at all
opening ceremonies

ECONOMIC

37 Support regulation of for-profit schools and
state approving agencies

38 Support extended time for mortgage
payments for servicemembers

39 Support an investigation of hiring practices
in the federal government

FINANCE

40 Agreement with the National Veterans
Legal Services Program for 2011-2012, under
which NVLSP will provide the Legion with
representation, training, and research
services and materials

FOREIGN RELATIONS

27 Encourage DoD to make every effort to
safely repatriate U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl
from his captivity by the Taliban in Pakistan

NATIONAL SECURITY

1 Urge Congress to cease all efforts to reduce
the defense budget from its current level

30 Call on the president to comply with the
War Powers Resolution of 1973 by informing
Congress and the American people of the
critical national interests served by committing
U.S. forces or military assets to hostile action

31 Oppose changes to military retirement
system that would reduce incentives for
enlistment or re-enlistment

32 Work closely with DoD by establishing a
proactive Family Support Outreach program

33 Encourage Congress to ensure by law that
any benefit in force at the time of initial
enlistment cannot be reduced in value, and
that said benefits are to be valid through the
entire career of a servicemember

VETERANS AFFAIRS &
REHABILITATION

41 Expand burial benefits to Guardsmen and
reservists who received honorable discharges
or were killed while in service

52 THE AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2011

Personal Sound Amplification UPDATE

Perfect Choice HD™ is designed
to be heard. • . but not seen

Introducing the
innovative, intelligent
and invisible way to
turn up the volume
on the world
around you.

I'd like you to try a simple test. Find
something in your house that
makes a constant noise. No, not
your grandchildren... I'm talking
about your refrigerator, a fluorescent
bulb - anything with a constant hum. Listen
to it, then take your hands and cup them
behind your ears. Hear the difference? It's
pretty amazing. You didn't improve your
ears, you just enabled them to capture more
sound. This simple idea is the key to Personal
Sound Amplification Products. PSAPs, are
changing the way Americans deal with the
world around them. At times, almost
everyone would like to be able to amplify
conversations, TV dialogue, church sermons
and even birds chirping. In the past, most
would have had to go to an audiologist,
undergo hearing tests and fork out
thousands of dollars for a hearing aid. Now,
there is a better way. It's called Perfect Choice
HD™, the perfect choice for high defini-
tion sound amplification.

Perfect Choice HD™ is designed to
help you turn up the volume in a variety
of situations- particularly those where
you want to hear what someone is
saying. Most people can hear a car door
slam or a helicopter overhead, but
understanding what people are saying

Omnidirectional
Microphone

Rocker Switch
Adjustment

can be a challenge. That's why Perfect
Choice HD™ can amplify sounds,
especially consonants like G, F, and B,
in the range in which most people
speak. The receiver, which hides behind
your ear, picks up the sounds and
transmits them through the transparent
hearing tube into the ear canal. It's that
simple. You can even adjust the degree
of background noise cancellation
depending upon if you are in a noisy or
quiet situation. The volume control and
pivoting hearing tube are easy to adjust
and the multiple- sized ear tips let you
customize the unit for comfort and
performance. The unit even remembers
your favorite settings, so you don't have
to do a thing except turn it on and put it
in. Even your best friends won't know
you're wearing it... that is unless they
notice you aren't saying "Pardon me?" or
"What did you say?".

Hearing is believing! Why spend
another day struggling to understand
what your friends, children, grandchil-
dren- even your favorite TV characters-
are saying. Perfect Choice HD™ comes
with a two -Month "No Questions
Asked" trial period. All we request is that
you try the product for at least 15 days.
This will give you an opportunity to test
or use it in a variety of situations and
hear the many benefits it has to offer.
After that, if you are not completely
satisfied, simply return it within 60 days
of the purchase date for a refund of
product purchase price. Note- Perfect
Choice HD™ is a personal sound ampli-
fication product, not a hearing aid. If
you believe you need a hearing aid,
please consult a physician, audiologist
or other properly licensed professional
for a thorough hearing examination.

Important facts you

should know about Personal

Sound Amplification Products:

Now, many people can be helped
by new digital technology without
going to an audiologist.

Not all PSAPs are created equal. - Some
simply amplify volume across all frequencies.
If dialogue gets louder but background noise
does too, it defeats the purpose. Look for
one that provides extra amplification from
1000-2000 Hz- that's the range of normal
human conversation.

•* Quality components are key. - Technology is
only as good as the product itself. Making
something smaller doesn't necessarily make
it better. Make sure the product is durably
constructed and easy to use. Look for one
that has a Memory Setting so you don't have
to reprogram it every time you turn it off.

•> No one... including you... should know it's
there. - Insist on a PSAP that hides behind
your ear and uses a clear hearing tube to
get sound to the ear canal. This "Open Ear"
technology makes the product much less
intrusive and uncomfortable.

•> One size doesn't fit all. - Everyone is
different, so PSAPs need to be versatile.
Get one with a volume control, multiple
"situation" settings and a variety of ear tips.

•* Simple to use - Look for one that's ready to
use right out of the box. Get one with
batteries that are easy to change and that
comes with step-by-step instructions and an
easy-to-understand DVD.

Perfect Choice HD™

Personal Sound Amplification System

Call now and get our lowest price ever

along with a FREE starter set including
6 batteries, extra ear tips, a cleaning tool
and a travel storage case.

1-877-751-0030

Please mention promotion code 43363.

Perfect,

Choice HD™ 5

1998 Ruffin Mill Road • Colonial Heights, VA 23834 §
Not available in the state of Washington.

[FOREIGN AFFAIRS]

Sick joke

In the latest example of the United
Nations' crippling case of moral confusion,
North Korea held the presidency of the U.N.
Conference on Disarmament earlier this year.
This is the same North Korea that has been
caught shipping illicit weaponry overseas,
testing long-range missilery and detonating
nukes - all in violation of U.N. resolutions. As
The Wall Street Journal reports, 'The jokes are
flying all around the world over this."

Joining North Korea on the disarmament
panel are China, Pakistan and Iran. China, it
pays to recall, has single-handedly restarted
the arms race in space. Pakistan helped
North Korea and Iran with their outlaw
nuclear programs. And Iran is enriching
uranium, building underground missile silos
and racing to join the nuclear-weapons club.

[FOREIGN AFFAIRS]

Time to done NATO?

With his country besieged by Mexico's
narco-armies, Guatemalan President
Alvaro Colom says it's time to create a
region-wide defense against the cartels,
Financial Times reports.

"What good is it if the forces of one
country are pursuing drug traffickers who
cross a river but then have to stop to avoid
an international incident?" an exasperated
Colom recently asked. "Why not have a
type of Central American NATO?"

The Mexico-based Zetas drug cartel has
overtaken large swaths of Guatemala's
jungles. In one incident, an army of 200 Zetas
gunmen slaughtered 27 Guatemalan
farmers. In response, Guatemala declared a
state of emergency in its northern provinces
and deployed military units to forcibly take
back territory from the Mexican drug armies.
After Guatemalan troops engaged the cartel,
Colom reported, "The weapons seized ... are
more than those of some army brigades."

Imaginechina via AP Images

[FOREIGN AFFAIRS]

The Pentagon's latest on China

Predicting that China's emergence as a major international player will
be "a defining feature of the strategic landscape of the early 21st century,"
the Pentagon's annual review of Beijing's military power paints the
picture of a nation eager to challenge the United States in the Asia-Pacific
region and beyond:

■ "By the latter half of the current decade, China will likely be able to
project and sustain a modest-sized force, perhaps several battalions of
ground forces or a naval flotilla of up to a dozen ships, in low-intensity
operations far from China. This evolution will lay the foundation for a
force able to accomplish a broader set of regional and global objectives."

■ DoD estimates that China's "total military-related spending for 2010 was
over $160 billion ... in 2011, Beijing announced a 12.7-percent increase in

its military budget ... 2000-2010 data indicates China's officially disclosed
military budget grew at an average of 12.1 percent."

■ "China is developing measures to deter or counter third-party
intervention, including by the United States." Among China's growing
arsenal of so-called anti-access weapons are anti-ship missiles with a
range exceeding 1,500 km, upgraded B-6 bombers armed with a new
long-range cruise missile, an emerging aircraft-carrier capability, and
75 surface combatants, more than 60 submarines and 85 missile-
equipped small boats.

■ The People's Liberation Army conducted 32 joint exercises and training
events with foreign militaries, including exercises with Brazil, Peru,
Albania, Turkey and Kazakhstan.

■ China bases "490 combat aircraft within unrefueled operational range
of Taiwan."

[ENTERTAINMENT]

A film for warriors

Gavin O'Connor, director of the Lionsgate
film "Warrior," says America's troops inspired
him to make the boxing/martial-arts movie.

"I wanted to salute the soldiers coming
home," O'Connor told Fox News at the film's
September premiere. "I think in Hollywood
today, there have been so many movies about
the war, and some of them came out years ago
when audiences didn't really want to go to the
movies when it is on the news every day.
I wasn't making a political movie, but I did want to acknowledge
those guys over there that have risked their lives, and many of them
have died. I just wanted to tip my hat."

Fox News reports that O'Connor insisted on using real Marines rather
than extras for the film, which is about a Marine Corps veteran who
returns home to train for a mixed martial arts competition.

54 THE AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2011

EASY
STRETCH-FIT
COTTON KNIT

With
Scandinavian
Design!

Luxurious, Fleece-Lined
COMFORT 8 WARMTH!

www.DmamPmductsCatalogxom^1S^ Order Toll Free 1-800-530-2689

Turn Your Thermostat Down And
Still Keep Your Feet Warm & Toasty!

Now you don't have to travel to Norway to enjoy the
toasty warmth and comfort of our luxurious
Norwegian Knit Ankle Boots. Each beautifully
knit imported boot has a plush and cushiony full
fleece lining that keeps your feet cozy and dry. Boot
style design with high collar even keeps your
ankles warm. Thick cushioned insole provides
walking and lounging comfort! Special non-skid
safety soles protect you in and out of your home.
Quality made with cotton knit upper and fiber blend
lining. Order now and get FREE SHIPPING!
Satisfaction Guaranteed or Return For Your Money Back

Ladies'
#312

10-11

Men's
#313

11-12

NORWEGIAN KNIT ANKLE BOOTS

PLEASE INDICATE NUMBER OF PAIRS UNDER SIZE.

Total
Qty.

_Pair(s) Boots @ $1 2.97 pr.

CA residents must add 7.25% sales tax

FREE REGULAR SHIPPING

Add $2.00 handling each pair

FOR EXPEDITED SHIPPING (optional)

Add An Additional $2.95
(receive your order 5-7 days from shipment)

PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY TOTAL

$ FREE

$2.95

□ VISA □ MasterCard □ Discover®/NOVUS SM Cards | Dept . 64189 |
Card# Expiration Date /

Name

Address .
City

_Zip_

Daytime Phone # _

Email Address.

Check or money order payable to: Dream Products, Inc.
Send Order To: 412 Dream Lane, Van Nuys, CA 91496

RAPID FIRE

[LEGISLATION]

"The House of Representatives sent a
clear message that not only is support
for our veterans strong, but that we
stand together to end veteran
unemployment The VOW Act is the
most comprehensive, thoughtful
legislation that has been introduced to
get our veterans out of unemployment
lines and into meaningful jobs. We must
also get government out of the way
and ensure we have the right
environment for the job market
to flourish once again/'

Rep. Jeff Miller, chairman of the House Committee on
Veterans Affairs, on the passage of H.R. 2433, known as the
Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act, on Oct. 12. The
law provides funding for job retraining for veterans 35 to 60
who are ineligible for benefits under the Post-9/11 Gl Bill.
The VOW Act also extends the military's Transitional
Assistance Program (TAP) to virtually all servicemembers.

[VOLUNTEER]

Selective Service seeks
local board members

The Selective Service System wants to
hear from men and women in the
community who might be willing to serve as
members of local boards.

A prospective board member must be a
U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old, registered
with the Selective Service (if male), and not
be an employee in any law-enforcement
occupation, not be an active or retired
member of the U.S. Armed Forces (including
the National Guard and reserves), and not
have been convicted for any criminal
offense. Once identified as qualified
candidates for appointment, they are
recommended by their governors and
appointed by the director of the Selective
Service on behalf of the president.

Each new member receives five hours
of initial training, followed by annual
self-study training for as long as he or she
remains in the position. These presidential
appointees may serve as board members for
up to 20 years.

If a military draft became necessary,
approximately 10,000 local and appeal
board members would decide which young
men in each community receive deferments,
postponements or exemptions from military
service, based on federal guidelines.

[CHILDREN & YOUTH]

CWF awards $506,683 in grants

The American Legion Child Welfare Foundation recently announced
its 2012 grant recipients, awarding $506,683 to 18 nonprofit organizations.
The grants, approved during the CWF's annual board of directors
meeting in Indianapolis on Oct. 9, include:

■ Angel Flight Soars of Atlanta, which provides free air transportation
to patients for medical treatments not available locally, received $16,564
for pilot recruitment and community outreach.

■ Children's Institute of Rochester, N.Y., received $9,500 to distribute
1,000 copies of its DVD, "Building Strong Military Families Through Play,"
to Guard and reserve centers nationwide.

■ Mercy Medical Airlift of Virginia Beach, Va., received $43,400 for five
modernized and upgraded websites and a full social-media presence.

■ National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and
Youth of Minneapolis received $41,000 to produce a redesigned website,
a new advocate's toolkit and a public service announcement.

■ National Center for Missing & Exploited Children of Alexandria, Va.,
received $25,500 to develop an iPhone Child ID application.

■ Second Wind Fund of Lakewood, Colo., received $23,724 to teach
educators how to reduce teen suicide rates in their communities.

■ The National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children of Albion,
Mich., received $20,000 for its online project supporting military parents.

■ Texas National Guard Family Support Foundation of Austin
received $40,000 to provide brochures for educators explaining what it
means for a child to have a parent deployed.

■ The American Legion Department of Kansas
received $32,000 to produce a ruler-bookmark with
an anti-drug message on one side and the Pledge
of Allegiance on the other.

■ Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors
(TAPS) of Washington received $25,000 to produce
care kits for grieving children.

■ The American Legion Department of Arizona and
SAL Detachment of Arizona received $49,500 for the
start-up cost of their Deployment Josh program.

Media Bakery

[EDUCATION]

Legion awards $20,000 to nine
Samsung Scholars

The American Legion National Committee on Education has selected
nine students to receive $20,000 each for the 2011 Samsung American
Legion Scholarship. An additional 89 students were awarded $1,100 each.

The nine 2011 Samsung Scholars are Alex Jolley of Cedar City, Utah;
Jessica Ziniel of Iowa City, Iowa; Troy Cunio of Titusville, Fla.; Andrew
Lawrence of Ponca City, Okla.; John McCallum of Farmerville, La.;
Marie Goerger of Wyndmere, N.D.; Lauren Wheeler of Bridgeport, W.Va.;
Steven Spellmon of Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.; and Summer Stout of
Hurricane, Utah.

The Samsung American Legion Scholarship is available to high-school
juniors who participate in and complete the Boys State or Girls State
programs and are direct descendants (or legally adopted children) of
wartime veterans eligible for Legion membership.

56 THE AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE | DECEMBER

2011

It stays forever in your heart

\J.S. NAVY

Unfortunately, it also stays forever in your lungs

Are you or a loved one a Navy, Merchant Marine or Coast Guard veteran who suffers or has died from asbestos-related

Mesothelioma or Lung Cancer?

Know your rights, and know what you're entitled to from the asbestos companies.

Few firms have the track record of Weitz & Luxenberg in securing
over $3 Billion in verdicts and settlements for asbestos victims and their families.

For a free consultation with the law firm to which other lawyers refer their asbestos cases,
call the Weitz & Luxenberg client relations department at 1-888-411 -LAWS (5297) today.

WEITZ LUXENBERG , (

ASBESTOS • DRUGS/MEDICAL DEVICES * ENVIRONMENTAL * NEGLIGENCE

700 Broadway • New York, NY 10003

BRANCH OFFICES IN NEW JERSEY, CALIFORNIA & COLORADO

1.888.41 l.LAWS • www.weitzlux.com

Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. We may associate with local firms in states wherein we do not maintain an office.

Limited Time ONLY!

Source Code 045/9107

^XQfo* Est 1944

Gifts Oin GoodTaste

Introductory Offer!

Taste Figi's quality with our incredible Tasteful Traditions
This generous gift delivers Wisconsin's fine Cheeses,
Smokehouse Sausages and More.

An impressive gathering of our tastiest treats to explore and
enjoy. Grade A Wisconsin Sharp Cheddar, Colby and Brick
Cheeses, Cheese Spreads, Smoked Beef Sausages, layere
Tortes, creamy Milk Chocolate, and more. A true feast
for friends, family, and co-workers. Net wt. 3 lbs. 2 oz.

Gift 4542 $3*90

Only $29.99!

Plus $4.25 per gift for
shipping and handling.

Order Today! Go online at Figis.com or call 1-800-422-3444
and provide source code 045/9107

Offer expires December 31, 201 1

SUV OR PICKUP WINDOW

Adhesive Sign for Tinted Windows

4x6 Sticker HIS-3100 $9.99 each*

CAMPER, 5TH WHEEL, MOTOR HOME

Security Static Cling Sign

4x6 Static Cling HIS-2100 $9.99 each*

8x10 Static Cling HIS-2101 $17.99 each*

HOME OR RV

Security Yard Sign

8x10 Sign w/Stake HIS-VOO $19.99 each*

DOOR MATS

20x30 Black H/S-4100 $45.99 each*
20x30 Color HIS-4101 $49.95 each*

EXCELLENT GIFT IDEAS FOR CHRISTMAS!

GET YOURS
TODAY AT

HOMEINVASIONSIGNS.COM
OR CALL 855-656-7200

M-F 8am-5pm • ~ E Q

[FALL MEETINGS]

American Legion to Congress:
Stop trying to cut defense budget

During the NEC's Fall Meetings in
Indianapolis, Robert W. Spanogle -
past national commander and past
national adjutant - made an
impassioned plea for the National
Executive Committee to pass
Resolution No. 1, which calls on
Congress and the White House to halt
efforts to reduce the national defense
budget from its current level.

"Our men and women in the military
are the best-equipped, the best-
trained, in the world," he said. "The
American Legion has insisted that they
have the best equipment, the best
weapons, the best choppers, the best
of everything. The best for the best."

Spanogle listed the periods in U.S.
history when the country was
ill-prepared for war, such as the years
before World War II and those
following the Korean War.

"The war in Iraq is coming to a
close," he said. "There's much talk
about leaving Afghanistan, let's
demobilize. Let's cut the DoD budget.'
We have already cut the budget, but
Congress wants to cut more. That
means no research and development.
No next generation of lift, close air
support, IED protection vehicles and
personal protection/body armor. No
upgrades to tanks, planes and drones.

"All the tools we have given our
fighting men and women to give them
the edge in this war on terror will be
gone. By reducing the DoD budget,

U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Scott Dunn

we'll have a massive reduction in force
- less battalions, less air wings, less
ships, less everything, all while we're
being told the world is a safer place."

National Commander Fang Wong
echoed Spanogle's support of the
resolution condemning defense
budget cuts.

"If the federal government is looking
to cut spending, it can start by
eliminating the $16 muffins, the
$76-per-person lunches and the
$121 million that the Justice
Department recently paid to conduct
conferences at elite hotels," said Wong,
referring to news reports.

Further, Americans serving in the
military deserve an exception to the
cost-cutting ax, he added.

"Our government seems to forget
that TRICARE and military retirement
pay are benefits available only to those
who have given decades of their lives in
service to their country. Many who
received these benefits have completed
multiple tours in combat zones, and all
have indicated a willingness to die for
their country if called upon."

[MEMBERSHIP]

NEW POSTS

Post 500, Bellwood, III. Chartered Oct. 7 (15 members)

Satellite Service Post 911, Jefferson City, Mo. Chartered Oct. 5 (15 members)

Post 55, Kemmerer, Wyo. Chartered Sept. 23 (11 members)

Richard H. Stewart Jr. Post 543, St. James, N.C.

Chartered Sept. 22 (18 members)

Looking Back-Growler-Jamerson Post 239, Little Eagle, S.D.

Chartered Sept. 22 (20 members)

James McCollough Post 395, Crestview, Fla.

Chartered Sept. 22 (18 members)

f^J^. USAA is proud to be the

§T W Preferred Provider

of Insurance and Financial Services
U bAA to Tne American Legion

se the card that helps suppo
American Legion programs.

• No annual fee 1

• 0% introductory APR for 12 months on balance
transfers and convenience checks made in the
first three months (10.9% to 25.9% variable APR
after that) 1

• USAA Rewards points that you can redeem for your
choice of cash, merchandise or other exciting rewards 2

In addition, USAA Bank will make a contribution to The
American Legion when you open the account and each
time you make an eligible purchase with the card. No
other card works harder for The American Legion.

Apply today.

1-877-699-2654 | usaa.com/legioncc

Insurance Banking Investments Retirement Advice

Choose from nine unique

designs created exclusively for

Legionnaires. See them at
usaa.com/legioncc.

USAA®

We know what it means to servef

USAA means United Services Automobile Association and its insurance, banking, investment and other companies.

1 0ffers subject to approval. As of 10/15/2011, regular APRs on purchases, cash advances and balance transfers are 10.9% to 25.9 %, depending on your credit history and other factors. APRs will vary
with the market based on the Prime Rate. There is a transaction fee of 3% on cash advances ($75 maximum on balance transfers and convenience checks) and 1% on foreign transactions. Rates
and fees subject to change. Please contact us for the most current information. If your credit history and other factors qualify you for a credit limit under $5,000, you will receive a USAA Platinum
MasterCard with the same rates and fees. 2 Rewards points terminate if account is closed, delinquent or program ends. Earn 1 point for every $1 in credit card purchases. Other restrictions apply.
USAA Rewards Program terms and conditions will be provided with your card. Use of the term "member" or "membership" does not convey any legal, eligibility or ownership rights. Availability
restrictions apply. Purchase of a bank product does not establish eligibility for, or membership in, USAA property and casualty insurance companies. USAA Savings Bank, Member FDIC. No DOD
endorsement implied by the use of military image. © 2011 USAA. 133312-1111

RAPID FIRE

[VETERANS BENEFITS]

THE MATH ON MILITARY RETIREMENT

BY MICHAEL L. MONTANEY

I have been listening with great interest to the rhetoric
claiming that the current policy of allowing military
personnel to retire after 20 years of service is unfair and
needs to be changed. I retired from the Marine Corps in
1985 after 21 years of service. I was very fortunate to have
been trained in an occupational field that easily transfers
to a civilian job.

Many military retirees are not that lucky.

For instance, there is little call in the civilian world
for someone with expertise in blowing things up and
killing people. Upon
retirement from the military,
these veterans who spent
much of their adult lives
defending our freedom
need additional training
to enter the civilian
job market.

Many who seek a new
and less costly military
retirement system argue
that those who draw
50 percent of their pay
after 20 years are overpaid.
First of all, it helps to
understand the three types
of active-duty military
compensation:

■ Base pay, the amount of
compensation military
personnel receive, which is
determined by pay grade
and time in service.

■ Basic Allowance for
Subsistence (BAS), paid to
most military personnel to
allow them to pay for their
own meals.

■ Basic Allowance for Housing
(BAH), paid to married

personnel and single personnel where no government
quarters are available.

Only base pay is used when calculating retirement
compensation.

From personal experience and discussions with other
retirees, I have been able to conclude that the average
enlisted servicemember retires after 20 years as an E-7,
and the average officer retires after 20 years as an 0-4.
Here is a chart showing active-duty monthly pay for
those grades, based on 20 years, assuming they are
married with three minor children at home. I have also
averaged BAH, which is based on locality.

This picture looks pretty good until retirement
pay is calculated.

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Steven Khor

E-7 0-4

Base Pay

$4,189.20

$7,049.10

Basic Allowance
for Housing (BAH)

$2,123.50

$2,656.50

Basic Allowance
for Subsistence (BAS)

$325.04

$223.84

Total active-duty
compensation

$6,637.74

$9,929.44

Total retirement pay
(50% of base pay)

$2,094.60

$3,309.81

Remember, they receive 50 percent of base pay
after 20 years, before taxes or other deductions. The
E-7 would receive $2,094.60 and the 0-4 would receive
$3,309.81, less than one-third of their active-duty pay.
In the case of the E-7, that's less than the federal poverty
level for a family of five. The 0-4, who climbed into
upper-level military management, barely receives
150 percent of the federal poverty level. Is this the
way we want to treat the people who have dedicated
their lives to defending our freedoms?

There are some other
factors to consider
regarding those who
choose military careers.
For the most part, 40-hour
work weeks do not exist in
the military. Yet when a
career military man or
woman puts in a 60-hour
week, there is no
time-and-a-half or double-
time pay. Few other careers
in the U.S. economy
can require multiple
foreign assignments,
harsh living conditions
and the persistent reality
that your business
competitors can, and
will, kill you if
given the chance.

It has been said by
some that those who
choose military careers
are volunteers and should
be willing to accept these
conditions. Yes, they did
volunteer, but they did
so on a promise that they
would be able to retire
after 20 years and perhaps pursue a civilian career later,
if they survived.

Those who make careers in the U.S. Armed Forces do
not want a handout or a free ride. They do want what
they earned, and consideration for the sacrifices they
have made to defend freedoms most others take for
granted. Should that consideration disappear, a military
career becomes a lot less appealing, and the best young
men and women in the service will certainly think twice
about committing two decades of their adult lives to
such a life.

Michael L Montaney ofEphrata, Wash., is a retired
U.S. Marine Corps master sergeant.

50 THE AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2011

DOUBLE HEALING POWER

NOW AT V2 THE PRICE!

Miracle
MAGNETIC COPPER
Bracelets

OUR LOWEST PRICE EVER!

For centuries, men and women have
turned to the power of natural healing to
improve their health and relieve their aches
and pains. Now you can, too - at 50% OFF
SAVINGS! Both MAGNETIC COPPER
BRACELETS have a powerful, 1 ,600-gauss
magnet embedded in the underside of
each link for 360° coverage. Men's %V" L
bracelet has 19 links. Ladies' T/" L
bracelet has 21 links. Copper tone finish
over metal alloy. SAVE 50% on
each when you order now.

Satisfaction Guaranteed or Return For Your Money Back

Miracle MAGNETIC COPPER BRACELETS

(99619)
S»ve

50 »/o

Ladies' Miracle Magnetic

Copper Bracelets @ $6.48 Each

(99620)

s«*ve Men's Miracle Magnetic

50 0/o Copper Bracelets @ $6.48 Each

CA residents must add 7.25% sales tax

Regular Shipping & Handling
Add $3.95 no matter how many ordered

□

FOR EXPEDITED SHIPPING (optional)
✓ Add An Additional $2.95

(receive your order 5-7 days from shipment)

TOTAL $

$3.95

$2.95

□ VISA □ MasterCard □ Discover®/NOVUS SM Cards | Dept. 64190

Card#

Expiration Date

Name .

Address .
City

_Zip_

Daytime Phone #_

Email Address

Check or money order payable to: Dream Products, Inc.
Send Order To: 412 Dream Lane, Van Nuys, CA 91496

PERSONAL FINANCE

Tax-savings opportunities

RAPID FIRE

VETERANS & BUSINESS

[ECONOMICS]

Help a veteran through
Hire Patriots site

Do you own a business? Are you starting a
business? Are you looking for employment?
^^^^^^^^^^ Are you interested in
ON POINT hiring veterans? Do
you need an odd job
taken care of around
the house, at the
office, or at the
job site?

I've found a site
that helps address
all these needs:
HirePatriots.com,
which oversees projects in more than 45
states, with the help of about 20 regional
leaders across the country.

The mission is simple: connect veterans
with opportunities, and opportunities with
veterans. If you have work that needs to be
done - whether an odd job around the
house, or a part-time need in a small
business - individuals and businesses are
encouraged to post it at HirePatriots.com to
help a local military member or veteran earn
some extra money, says Mark Baird, who
created the website in 2005 to serve Marines
at Camp Pendleton. By its third month,
HireMarines.com had thousands of visitors,
and Baird took the site national.

Entrepreneurs and job seekers can post
capability statements, resumes, pictures,
logos and other information about
themselves or their companies.

If you run your own website and want to
encourage other companies to hire
veterans, visit HirePatriots.com to download
some great retro posters, meant to remind
us that hiring veterans is not only a good
business decision, but also a great way to do
our part in helping to lower unemployment
among America's veterans.

So, vetrepreneurs, if you are trying to
get the word out about your veteran-owned
company, here is a great resource.
Homeowners, if you have an odd job
around the house that you've been
putting off, check out HirePatriots.com.
Small-business owners, if you are looking for
some reliable help around the office or
job site, this is a great place to look for
short-term help.

Louis J. Celli is CEO of the Northeast Veterans
Business Resource Center. Readers can send
questions for "On Point" to lcelli@nevbrc.org.

The holidays have rolled
around again, and we can't help
but wonder where the year went.
The sudden appearance of
December on our fridge calendar

is a blatant

reminder that
we had better
have our tax
ducks in a row at
this point, or do

FINANCIAL
FOOTLOCKER

something
about it quickly.

If cooking,
cleaning,
shopping and other holiday
preparations have pushed taxes,
and saving on taxes, to the
bottom of your to-do list, here
are a few 11th-hour ideas for you.

■ Clean out the barn, take out
the trash. Comb through the
attic, closets, garage and
basement, and analyze what you
don't use but is still in good
condition. While you could
certainly sell some of that stuff,
dropping it off or having it picked
up by a nonprofit before
year-end can help turn your
unwanted treasures into valuable
tax deductions. Make sure that
you keep receipts and donate to
qualified organizations. To find
out if an agency qualifies, go to
IRS.gov.

■ Lose the losers. If you're like
many folks, at least a few of your

investments have disappointed.
One of the most overlooked
tax-savings opportunities is
taking losses in a brokerage or
mutual fund non-retirement

account. If you sell before
year-end you may be able
to take a tax deduction on
this year's tax return.
Losses can offset any gains
you have and then allow
you to deduct up to $3,000
more from ordinary
income per year. Any
losses above that level can
be carried forward to future years
until they're all depleted.
■ Pay it forward. In other
words, pay some of January's
bills now and take a current tax
deduction. If you need the tax
break and it's affordable,
consider making your January
mortgage payment in December
and deduct the interest this year.
You can also prepay your 2012
state, local or property taxes,
allowing you to benefit from the
deduction on this year's return.

June Lantz \N albert and] J.
Montanaro are certified financial
professionals for USAA, The
American Legion's preferred
financial provider for financial
services. Submit questions for them
online. www.legion.org/
financiaifootiocker

[EDUCATION]

Post-9/11 Gl Bill changes eliminate break pay

Q: / am in college and am wondering why my
check was short between summer and fall term.

A: Recent changes to the Post-9/11 Veterans
Educational Assistance Improvements Act
eliminates break pay between terms. This means
that your Gl Bill will only pay when school is in
session. Monthly benefits will be prorated
accordingly, and the remainder of the entitlement
previously offered for break pay will be distributed
only during a time of future enrollment.

Valerie Vigil is a Marine Corps veteran and member of American Legion Post
27 in Arizona. Send Gl Bill questions to her by email, askvalerie@legion.org

MYGI BILL

VETERANS & EDUCATION

BY VALERIE VIGIL

52 THE AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2011

Extent daul Wife h jury
happy und wmri ihi/n
iihwjsi&jary day,.,

— C fitOM Smma MMtuit CA

Your Luxury Password is

For the next 90 days, we want to give you this $279 cultured pearl necklace.. .FREE !

After years of wondering how the idle rich got even richer, we
cracked the millionaire's code. The secret is simple: Don't
spend a penny if you don't have to. Apparently, wealth has less to
do with family history, fancy education and investment strategy
than we thought. It has everything to do with "FREE." You may
be shocked to hear that we're giving away luxury. For the next 90
days, this stunning Aria Cultured Pearl Necklace (previously
offered for $279) is FREE. The over-privileged get these kind of
deals every day. Now it's your turn.

We leveled the luxury playing field. Once
you're loaded, you simply stop paying for stuff.
Upgrades become automatic. And everything from
cocktails to courtside seats arrive "compliments of
the house." That's what makes the good life so
great. Why do wealthy CEOs and celebrities get
showered with giveaways? Because people want to
impress them. Not us. We'd rather impress YOU.

a Your star treatment begins now.
Only Stauer can put you in the spotlight.
You've heard of the luxury gifts handed
out on the red carpet? Well, we've taken
those "goodie bags" and made them
YOURS. Call today and help yourself to
the 28" Aria Cultured Pearl Necklace...
absolutely FREE (you pay only the basic
shipping and handling of $24.95). Why on
Earth would we do this? Read on...

Quite Simply 9
the Most
Spectacular Offer
in Jewelry
History!

What are cultured pearls?

In 1893, Mikimoto Kokichi pio-

It's okay to be skeptical. I know it
sounds too good to be true. But the truth

neered a process to jumpstart the i s that our success doesn't depend on sell-
ing you one necklace. Our goal is to build
a relationship. Shop around. Browse the
web. You can easily pay hundreds (even
thousands) more for a similar strand of
cultured pearls.

But I promise you won't find any other jeweler in the country
handing out pearl necklaces for nothing. This is beyond BIG.

Is this the ''Greatest Jewelry Offer in History "? Maybe. All
that matters is that we get your attention. Take the necklace as our
gift and then take a closer look at our exclusive selection of jewelry
and vintage-inspired watches. We're betting you'll be back for
more. And we'll be ready to surprise you again.

A timeless classic, always in style. Fashions come and
go, but the simple elegance of a pearl necklace is forever. This
continuous, 28" strand features extra large 7-8mm white
cultured pearls. The 28" extra long length lets you slip it on
and off with ease. Each Aria Necklace is hand-strung and
hand-knotted to keep every precious pearl in place. No two
pearls are exactly alike, so every necklace is unique.

Please act quickly. You can understand that this exclusive
FREE offer can't last forever. We are only able to make a lim-
ited number of necklaces available. To ensure that you are one of
the fortunate callers to receive the Aria Cultured Pearl Necklace -
for nothing more than $24.95 in shipping and handling - please
call the number below within 90 days. This offer is strictly
limited to one FREE necklace per shipping address.

Offer Limited to First 2500 Respondents

28" Aria Cultured Pearl Necklace — £27# Your Cost—
FREE — pay only $24.95 shipping & processing.

For fastest service, call toll-free 24 hours a day

1-800-806-1525

formation of pearls. By implanting
a nucleus inside the oyster, he
could stimulate the natural creation
of a pearl. Each pearl on your
necklace was harvested, polished
and strung by hand.

Promotional Code FPN1 55-02

Please mention this code when you call.

Suucr

www.stauer.com

14101 Southcross Drive W.,
Dept. FPN155-02
Burnsville, Minnesota 55337

How to submit a reunion

The American Legion Magazine publishes
reunion notices for veterans. Send notices
to The American Legion Magazine, Attn:
Reunions, P.O. Box 1055, Indianapolis, IN
46206, fax (317) 630-1280, e-mail reunions@
legion.org or submit information via our
website, www.legion.org/reunions.

Include the branch of service and complete
name of the group, no abbreviations, with your
request. The listing also should include the
reunion dates and city, along with a contact
name, telephone number and e-mail address.
Listings are publicized free of charge.

Your notice will appear on our Web site within
a weekand will remain available online until
the final day of your reunion. Upon submission,
please allow three months for your reunion to
be published in print. Due to the large number
of reunions, The American Legion Magazine
will publish a group's listing only once a year.

Notices should be sent at least six months prior
to the reunion to ensure timely publication.

Other notices

"In Search Of" is a means of getting in touch
with people from your unit to plan a reunion.
We do not publish listings that seek people
for interviews, research purposes, military
photos or help in filing a VA claim. Listings
must include the name of the unit from which
you seek people, the time period and the
location, as well as a contact name, telephone
number and e-mail address. Send notices to
The American Legion Magazine, Attn: "In
Search Of," P.O. Box 1055, Indianapolis, IN
46206, fax (317) 630-1280 or e-mail reunions@
legion.org.

The magazine will not publish names of
individuals, only the name of the unit. Listings
are published free of charge.

Life Membership notices are published for
Legionnaires who have been awarded life

memberships by their posts. This does not
include a member's own Paid-Up-For-Life
membership. Notices must be submitted
on official forms, which may be obtained by
sending a self-addressed stamped envelope
to The American Legion Magazine, Attn: Life
Memberships, P.O. Box 1055, Indianapolis,
IN 46206.

"Comrades in Distress" listings must be
approved by the Legion's Veterans Affairs &
Rehabilitation division. If you are seeking to verify
an injury received during service, contact your
Legion department service officer for informa-
tion on how to publish a notice.

To respond to a "Comrades in Distress" listing,
send a letter to The American Legion Magazine,
Attn: Comrades in Distress, P.O. Box 1055,
Indianapolis, IN 46206. Include the listing's CID
number in your response.

"Taps" notices are published only for Legion-
naires who served as department commanders
or national officers.

AIR FORCE / ARMY AIR FORCES

601 st, 61 5th AC&W Assn, Nashville, TN,
4/23-27, Francis Gosselin, (352) 588-9295,
fgosselin@tampabay.rr.com; Nagoya-Komaki
AB, Japan (1950-1958), South Padre Island,
TX, 2/19-21, Floyd Creamer, (956) 797-5232,
n9ojn@aol.com

ARMY

3rd Sqdn 4th Cav, Nashville, TN, 5/16-20,
Dave Cox, (830) 895-1172, cox.a.34cav@
gmail.com; 35th Sig Bde, Fayetteville,
NC, 6/8-10, Bill Jennewine, (813) 571-2547,
keytocommand@gmail.com; 69th Ord Co,

2012
$ 5 Silver Cougar

>- SILVER'S UP 676% (based from Jan. 1 ,2000-Sept.
201 1)

>• The brand new 2012 $5 Silver Cougar is the third of six

total coins to be offered in this series.
> Each coin contains one full ounce of exceptionally pure

.9999 fine silver bullion (Coin Term: four 9's pure).
>• Produced by the Royal Canadian Mint and bears a $5

Canadian legal tender denomination.
>• A low maximum mintage of only 1 ,000,000 coins for

worldwide distribution.
>■ Reverse cougar design features Senior Mint Engraver

William Woodruff's dramatic frontal view of a cougar

Eoised on a branch with jaws wide open and teeth
a red.

>■ Obverse design features the effigy of Her Majesty Queen
Elizabeth II, created in 2003 by Canadian portrait artist
Susanna Blunt.

Plus FREE Priority Shipping & Handling
for the first 100 orders

Availability not guaranteed
Price subject to change • Limit one per household
No dealers please
Silver Basis: $40.00

1-866-789-2646

www.ImperialCurrency. com

St. Louis, 5/30-6/1, Peter Prine, (585) 226-9243,
pprine@rochester.rr.com; 508th MP Bn,
Branson, MO, 5/2-9, Don Henderson, (765)
654-5288, dhoink@sbcglobal.net; Battle of
the Bulge Vets, Manhattan, KS, 1/14, Tad
Pritchett, (785) 554-9059, tadfrog1@aol.com
Counterintelligence Corps Vet (HUMINT),
Branson, MO, 5/7-11, Bill Ward, (425) 881-0306,
billward21@comcast.net; HHC 504th Field
Depot (Cam Ranh, Vietnam, (1967-1968),
Chicago, 6/1-2, Garry Shelton, (615) 441-3233,
shellbob@comcast.net

COASTGUARD

Icebreaker Muster, Amelia Island, FL, 5/13-18,
Joseph Quintiliani, (623) 308-0093

JOINT

All Wars Assn, Louisville, KY, 5/8-11, Clint Corpe,
(231) 839-3096, barbcorpe@yahoo.com

MARINES

Kilo 4/13 (Vietnam), Wilmington, NC, 5/2-6,
Joe Pizzi, (973) 300-9896, joseph.pizzi@gmail.com

IN SEARCH OF

NAVY

Ault DD 698, Branson, MO, 4/22-26, Tony Fuentes,
(210) 495-9554, fountain48@sbcglobal.net;
Bluefish SSN 675, Branson, MO, 5/24-27, Gary
Tinny, (304) 983-8103, blueassn675@comcast.
net; Castor AKS 1, Savanah, GA, 3/22-25,
Ray Kelley, (919) 557-7071, castor_reunion@
yahoo.com; Eldorado AGC 11, Chicago, 9/4-7,
Richard Thompson, (630) 759-1148, heidiho5@
comcast.net; Kearsarge CV/CVA/CVS 33 &
LHD 3, Pensacola, FL, 4/22-27, Edward McKee,
(307) 632-0743, lomck3@aol.com; Knudson
APD 101, San Diego , 5/6-8, Wayne Reynolds,
(386) 789-8612, wjr5002@cfl.rr.com; NAS Da
Nang (Vietnam), Rapid City, SD, 4/25-28, Bernie
Uhrinek, (724) 353-9627, jbrsar@salsgiver.com;
Nicholas DD/DDE 449 & FFG 47, San Diego,
4/22-26, Ken Clouston, (928) 634-7176, kcloust@
commspeed.net; NMCB 128, Mobile, AL, 4/17-19,
George McDaniel, (618) 259-4694, mcdanelgk@
aol.com; Pawcatuck AO 108, Norwich, CT, 5/8-11,
David Willis, (623) 628-7662, dwshs53@aol.com;
Robert H. McCard DD 822, Chicago, 5/9-13,
Ben Plante, (603) 622-0244, blplante@comcast.
net; Steinaker DD/DDR 863, Virginia Beach, VA,
4/26-29, John Evans, (254) 634-0602, texasevans@
yahoo.com; VAH-21/TRIM, Charleston, SC,
5/1-3, Gerald Tripp, (951) 926-6047, trippg748@
roadrunner.com

1/75th Arty B Btry (Bambert, Germany,
1967-1968), Joseph Martin, (304) 229-3969,
wideglide9747@yahoo.com

1st Div 26th Inf G Co 4th Pit (Bamberg,
Germany, 1950-1953), Roland Pushard,
(207) 582-8141, beverlylamoreau@yahoo.com

1st Med Amb 71st Evac Hosp 44th Med Bde
55th Med Grp (Pleiku, Vietnam, 1966-1967),
M.C. Richmond, (502) 538-9721, mrichmond@
insightbb.com

2nd 501 st C Co 1 01 st Abn Div (Vietnam,

1969- 1970), Joseph Martin, (240) 330-9338,
nitpam@aol.com

2nd Mil Intel Det (Camp Casey, Korea,

1970- 1979), Delbert Buttman, (410) 612-1019,
wdos@verizon.net

203rd Recon Airplane Co (Phu Heip Army

Airfield, Vietnam, 1967-1968), Gene Schiferi,

(303) 772-5689, geneandanne@msn.com
2069th Comm Sqdn (Nellis AFB, 1973-1977),

JoeGuerra, (502) 286-5800
ASA Crypto School (Camp Gordon, GA,

1953-1954), Bob Morris, (952) 884-2294,

oldbob101@yahoo.com
Constellation CVA 64 (1964-1966),

Steve Hudson, (985) 878-2243
HS-3 (Norfolk, VA, 1963-1970), Tommy Dingier,

(770) 748-8209

HQ & HQ Co 90th Replacement Bn (Fort

Benning, GA, 1964-1965), Larry Stoffel,

(218) 263-4676
M Co 2nd Rgt (Indian Gap, 1952) & 33rd

FA 26th Inf Rgt (Bamburg, Germany,

1952-1953), George Eckstrom, (715) 668-5313
Nav Coastal Lookout Stn (San Jose Island,

Gulf of Panama, 1943-1945), 15th Nav

District, Thomas Richards, (863) 965-8577
NMCB 62 & PWD Edzell, Scotland, Seabees,

Norm Hahn, (715) 834-4780, nhahnjr@

sbcglobal.net
Orca AVP 49 (1 951 -1 956), Stan El lexson,

(510) 223-4420, stanellexson@aol.com
Pit 87 (MCRD Parris Island, SC, 1949),

Rene Wattelet, (217) 827-3532, frenchflyer@

msn.com

Pit 393 (Parris Island, 1968), Hotel Co
(ITR Camp Gieger ITR & Camp Lejeune,
NC, 1968) Vietnamese Language School
(Presidio Monterey, CA, 1969), 9th MAB
Reception Ctr C Trp Handler (Camp Hansen
& Camp Hague, Okinawa, 1969-1970),
Edward Plumley, (864) 859-0800

RBS Sqdn Heston (London,
1952-1955), Robert Heim, (775) 575-2340

r Introducing ^
DoubleTime!

Double your monthly

minutes for life

with activation by
l 01/03/2012 a

Finally, a cell phone
that's ... a phone

"Well, I finally did it. I finally decided to enter the digital age and
get a cell phone. My kids have been bugging me, my book group
made fun of me, and the last straw was when my car broke down,
and I was stuck by the highway for an hour before someone
stopped to help. But when I went to the cell phone store, I
almost changed my mind. The phones are so small
I can't see the numbers, much less push the right
one. They all have cameras, computers and a
"global-positioning" something or other that's
supposed to spot me from space. Goodness, all I
want to do is to be able to talk to my grandkids!
The people at the store weren't much help. They
couldn't understand why someone wouldn't want
a phone the size of a postage stamp. And the rate
plans! They were complicated, confusing, and
expensive. . . and the contract lasted for two years!
I'd almost given up when a friend told me about
her new Jitterbug phone. Now, I have the
convenience and safety of being able to stay in
touch. . . with a phone I can actually use."

Affordable plans that I can understand - and no contract to
sign! Unlike other cell phones, Jitterbug has plans that make
sense. Why should I pay for minutes I'm never going to use?
And if I do talk more than I plan, I won't find myself without
any minutes like my friend who has a prepaid phone.

The cell phone that's right for me. Sometimes
I think the people who designed this phone
and the rate plans had me in mind. The
phone fits easily into my pocket, and flips
open to reach from my mouth to my ear.
The display is large and backlit, so I can
actually see who is calling. With a push
of a button I can amplify the volume
and if I don't know a number, I can
simply push "0" for a friendly, helpful
operator that will look it up and
even dial it for me. The Jitterbug also
reduces background noise, making the
sound loud and clear. There's even a
dial tone, so I know the phone is
ready to use.

Order now and receive a FREE Car
Charger and a FREE Leather Carrying ^^f**
Case for your Jitterbug- a $43.99 value. Call now!

Basic 14

Basic 19 ^

k Monthly Minutes

1 an DoubleTime
^ 200

Wk Monthly Rate

$14.99

$19.99

Operator Assistance

24/7

911 Access

FREE

Long Distance Calls

No add'l charge

Voice Dial

FREE

Nationwide Coverage

YES

Friendly Return Policy 1

30 days

jittertug

. /irsfSTREET

f J for Boomers and Beyond®

1998 Ruffin Mill Road
"Colonial Heights, VA 23834

More minute plans available. Ask your Jitterbug expert for details.

With Jitterbug, there are no contracts, no
cancellation fees and now, when you
sign up for our Basic 19 plan, you'll
double your monthly minutes for the
same price. The U.S -based customer
service is second to none, and the
phone gets service virtually anywhere
in the country.

Call now and get a FREE Car
Charger and FREE Leather
Carrying Case - a $43.99 value.
Try Jitterbug for 30 days and if you
don't love it, just return it 1 . Why
wait, the Jitterbug comes ready to
use right out of the box. If you aren't
as happy with it as I am, you can
return it for a refund of the purchase
price. Call now, the Jitterbug product
experts are ready to answer your questions.

Jitterbug Cell Phone

Ask how you can get DoubleTime for Life!

Please mention promotional code 43330.

I -888-752- 1 1 87

www.jitterbugdirect.com

We proudly accept the following credit cards.

g£ gS^ g

IMPORTANT CONSUMER INFORMATION: DoubleTime offer valid on Basic 19 plan and applies to new Jitterbug customers only. Offer ends 1/3/12. Offer valid until plan is changed or cancelled. Jitterbug is owned by GreatCall, Inc. Your invoices will come
from GreatCall. All rate plans and services require the purchase of a Jitterbug phone and a one-time set up fee of $35. Coverage and service is not available everywhere. Other charges and restrictions may apply. Screen images simulated. There are no additional
fees to call Jitterbug's 24-hour U.S. Based Customer Service. However, for calls to an Operator in which a service is completed, minutes will be deducted from your monthly balance equal to the length of the call and any call connected by the Operator, plus an
additional 5 minutes. Monthly rate plans do not include government taxes or assessment surcharges. Prices and fees subject to change. 'We will refund the full price of the Jitterbug phone if it is returned within 30 days of purchase in like-new condition.We will
also refund your first monthly service charge if you have less than 30 minutes of usage. If you have more than 30 minutes of usage, a per minute charge of 35 cents will apply for each minute over 30 minutes.The activation fee and shipping charges are not
refundable. Jitterbug is a registered trademark of GreatCall, Inc. Samsung is a registered trademark of Samsung Electronics America, Inc. and/or its related entities. Copyright © 20 1 I GreatCall, Inc. Copyright © 20 1 I by firstSTREET for Boomers and Beyond, Inc.
All rights reserved.

TAPS

Robert Barlow Jr., Dept. of Oregon.

Dept. Cmdr. 1995-1996, Nat'l Econ. Cmsn.
Consultant 1999-2001, Nat'l Veterans
Affairs & Rehab. Region 8 Chmn. 1995-1996,
Nat'l Veterans Affairs & Rehab. Region 8
Vice Chmn. 1994-1995, and Nat'l Veterans
Affairs & Rehab 8 Memb. 1993-1994 and

1996- 1999.

Gary L. Christesen, Dept. of Idaho. Nat'l
Counter-Subversive Activ. Cmte. Consultant
2005-2009, Nat'l Distinguished Guests
Cmte. Vice Chmn. 2004-2005 and Nat'l
& Homeland Sec. Cncl. Vice Chmn.
2010-2011.

Francis Dabrowski, Dept. of Maryland.
Nat'l Americanism Cncl. Vice Chmn.

1997- 1999 and Nat'l & Homeland Sec.
Cncl. Vice Chmn. 2000-2011.

John W. Richter, Dept. of Texas. Dept.
Cmdr. 1986-1987, Nat'l Exec. Cmte. Alt. Memb.
1992-1996, Nat'l Americanism Cncl. Vice
Chmn. 1988-1990, Nat'l Conv. Cmsn. Liaison
Cmte. Memb. 1999-2000, Nat'l Children &
Youth Cmsn. Liaison Cmte. Memb. 1996-
1997, Nat'l Distinguished Guests Cmte. Vice
Chmn. 2001-2005, Nat'l Econ. Cmsn. Liaison
Cmte. Memb. 1998-1999, Nat'l Exec. Cmte.
Memb. 1996-2000, Nat'l Foreign Relations
Cncl. Vice Chmn. 1971-1973, Nat'l American
Legion Magazine Cmsn. Consultant 1992-
1996, Nat'l American Legion Magazine
Cmsn. Liaison Cmte. Memb. 1997-1998,
and Nat'l & Homeland Sec. Cncl. Vice Chmn.
1975-1985 and 1991-1992.

MOTHER i

NOR^tANDY

MOTHER OF NORMANDY: THE STORY
OF SIMONE RENAUD By Jeff : Staffer

Read about a French woman who dedicated her
life to those who fought for her freedom in
World War II. Proceeds benefit The American
Legion Overseas Graves Decoration Trust
Fund, which supplies U.S. flags for the graves of
American military personnel buried in European
cemeteries. ($35 for hard-cover edition, $25 for
soft-cover, "Mother of Normandy" documentary
DVD $20, plus shipping and handling)

SAINTE MERE EGLISE: D-DAY, 6 JUNE 1944

By Alexandre Renaud

Alexandre Renaud, wartime mayor of Ste. Mere-Eglise
(Kilometer Zero in the Allied march to Berlin), wrote
France's first comprehensive account of the Normandy
invasion. Originally published in 1945 and later
translated to English, this illustrated book offers unique
insights from the French perspective. Proceeds benefit
The American Legion. ($25, plus shipping and handling)

Available for purchase through American Legion Emblem Sales.
To order, visit www.legion.otg/emblemsales
or call toll-free (888) 453-4466.

LEGION SHOPPER

STRONGER
THAN

Pharmaceutical Grade Without Prescription!
(12 pills) - 100mg $49.95
(24 pills) - 100mg $89.95
(36 pills) - 100mg $129.95
* Free Shipping * Discreet Packaging
* Money Back Guarantee
Credit Cards & Check By Phone.

TOLL FREE
Order Line

1-866-611-6891

Or Send Check or M.O. To:
RE. Labs, 6409 S. Western Ave.
Oklahoma City, OK 73139-1703

Viagra® is a registered trademark of Pfizer Inc

order online www.Dillmedica.com

HAT PINS

MEDALS •

• FREE COLOR CATALOG

• 2500+ Military Designs

• Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines

• Call now! Toll-free!
1-888-223-1159

• Custom pins & patches available.
Dealer inquires welcome.

by Hoover's Mfg., Co.

P.O. Box 547AL, Peru, IL 61354
Fax: 1-815-223-1499
Email: dave@hmchonors.com
Website: www.hmchonors.com

Protect Your
Assets With

Silver..

0nly $ 34^

Morgan Silver Dollars

Minted From 1878 to 1921

Buy Now! Before Silver Tops $50 per oz

Eastern Numismatics offers these genuine U.S.
minted Silver Dollars in Very Good or Better
condition. Dates will be chosen at random. All
prices are subject to change without notice.

5 coins + $7P&H $181.75

10coins + $9P&H $358.50

20coins + $12P&H $711.00

50 coins & up FREE P&H $1,747.50

Eastern Numismatics
1-800-835-0008

642 Franklin Ave Garden City, N.Y. 11530
N.Y. state residents add appropriate sales tax.
Visit us on the internet at ENIMORGAN.COM

Earn $25-$ 100 Per Hour

Expand your profitability with
Badge-A-Minit buttons by creating
customized buttons for customers.
Buttons cost less than 180 to make
and can be sold for $1 or more.
0nly&&&4e-$29.95, receive
everything you need to
make your first ten
2 1 / 4 " buttons. Request your
FREE catalog or order today! ■—-

www.badgeaminit.com

Badge-A-Minit

Badge-A-Minit, Dept. AL1211, 345 N. Lewis Ave., Oglesby, IL 61348

Call 800 • 223 -41 03

Hearing Aids! Free Catalog!
11-800-462-5778

Prices As Low
As $249.00

Monroe Hearing Aid Corporation
P O Box A-3976 Chicago, II. 60690

NOT AVAILABLE IN WA

THE AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2011

HEARING AIDS

UP TO 60% SAVINGS

30-DAY
TRIAL

TRY
BEFORE
YOU BUY

GUARANTEED LOWEST PRICES!

•ALL MAKES & MODELS -TERMS ARRANGED
•30 YRS. EXPERIENCE -ALL MAKE REPAIRS
•CUSTOM INSTRUMENT SPECIALISTS •
FOR FREE INFORMATION CALL:

1-800-323-4212

We're the oldest, biggest and best

LLOYDS, DEPT. AL P.O. BOX 7355, ROCKFORD, IL61126
Visit our Website at www.lloydhearingaid.com
NOT AVAILABLE IN WA.

Cialis LEVITRA

HABLAMOS ESPAflQL

VlAMEDK

SAFE * SECURE • DISCREET

www.viamedic.com n
800.547.9942E

ORDER ONLINE, BY PHONE OR MOBILE DEVICE! U

U.S. MILITARY MEDALS & RIBBONS

! COLOR CATALOG!

VETS SUPPL
10550 CO RD I
IAPLE GROVE.

f.NIJIitaryVeUPX.<

CUSTOM BALL CAPS-NAVY SHIP CAPS

Rings to Honor
Your Service

Call today for a FREE color
catalog of over 150 eye-catching
Classic Military Rings, plus a
Special Report you should read
before buying any service ring:
1-573-221-7786 (24 hr. recorded
message). Or write: Classic Rings,
1209 Broadway, Dept. A-1211
Hannibal MO 63401 . 1 code A-1211 |

www.ClassicRings.coi

ARBORNE LEATHERS

www.airborne-leathers.com

Genuine GOAT SKIN LEATHER JACKETS

BROWN

Normally $249°°

RegsS-XXL *m«pji
Tails LT-XXLT ill/} M/ * 1 1 Q S&H
(Tails add $10) KwUWW I I y 1 per JKT

Call TOLL FREE I Mail in your order to:

9-5 EST M-F OR AIRBORNE LEATHERS
* ««« n ««-«- i 20 Charles St.
1-800-247-9501 Northvale, NJ 07647

DIGITAL HEARING

SALE

5 year a QQQ 95 An Y size
warranty OOtf 9 or style

FREE Telephone Hearing Test
FREE Consultation with Technician
FREE TRIAL • FREE S&H

NEW!
OPEN FIT
TECHNOLOGY

Most Brands

Repairs $77 M

Se*e*f9ff

Hearing ONE • 1-800-249-4163

100 Main St., Marty, SD 57361
NOT AVAILABLE IN WA

Save $2,000 or more
on your next move!

Buy and/or sell your home
■ and receive cash back.* |
I SALE r

800.593.2526

Secure a mortgage & receive
discounts off closing costs.

800.593.2526

A "no hassle" move plus exclusive
Legion discounts.
Call for a
FREE
estimate!

OC CM

northAmerican

msmm

http://legion.myhomebenefits.com

to learn more!

* Certain restrictions apply. Call or visit website for details.

STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP,
MANAGEMENT
AND CIRCULATION

(Required by 39 U.S.C. 3685)

1. Title of Publication: THE AMERICAN LEGION

MAGAZINE.

2. Publication Number 0886-1234

4. Date of filing: September 29, 2011.

4. Frequency of issue: Monthly.

5. No. of issues published annually: 12.

6. Annual subscription price: $3.00.

7. Complete mailing address of known office of publication:

5745 Lee Road, Indianapolis, Indiana 46216 (Marion
County).

8. Complete mailing address of headquarters of general

business offices of the publisher: 700 N. Pennsylvania
St., Indianapolis, Indiana 46204.

9. Names and addresses of publisher, editor and managing

editor:

Publisher: Jeffrey Stoffer, 700 N. Pennsylvania St.,

Indianapolis, Indiana 46204

Editor: Jeffrey Stoffer, 700 N. Pennsylvania St.,

Indianapolis, Indiana 46204

Managing Editor: Matt Grills, 700 N. Pennsylvania

St., Indianapolis, Indiana 46204

10. Owner (Do not leave blank. If the publication is owned
by a corporation, give the name and address of the
corporation immediately followed by the names and
addresses of all stockholders owning or holding 1
percent or more of the total amount of stock. If not
owned by a corporation, give the names and addresses
of the individual owners. If owned by a partnership or
other unincorporated firm, give its name and address as
well as those of each individual owner. If the publication
is published by a nonprofit organization, give its name
and address.)

The American Legion Headquarters, 700 N. Pennsyl-
vania St., P.O. Box 1055, Indianapolis, Indiana 46206.

11. Known bondholders, mortgages, and other security
holders owning or holding 1 percent or more of the total
amount of bonds, mortgages or other securities: None.

12. Tax Status: For completion by nonprofit organizations
authorized to mail at nonprofit rates. The purpose, func-
tion, and nonprofit status of this organization and the
exempt status for Federal income tax purposes have not
changed during the preceding 12 months.

13. Publication Title: The American Legion Magazine

14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: September 2011

15. Extent and nature of circulation:

Actual Number
Average No. of Copies of
Copies Each Single Issue
Issue During Published
Preceding Nearest to
12 Months Filing Date

a. Total No. of Copies

Printed 2,322,021 2,299,603

b. Paid and/or Requested Circulation

1. Paid/Requested Outside-
County Subscriptions Stated

on Form 3541 2,313,875 2,291,692

2. Paid In-County Subscriptions 0 0

3. Sales Through Dealers and
Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter
Sales, and Other Non-USPS Paid

Distribution 4,279 4,225

4. Other Classes Mailed Through

the USPS 0 0

c. Total Paid and/or Requested
Circulation (Sum of 15b (1),(2),

(3), and (4)) 2,318,154 2,295,917

d. Free distribution by mail

1. Outside-County as Stated

on Form 3541 3,013 2,980

2. In-County as Stated

on Form 3541 0 0

3. Other Classes Mailed Through

the USPS 0 0

e. Free distribution outside the mail 0 0

f . Total Free distribution

(Sum of 15d and 15e) 3,013 2,980

g. Total distribution

(Sum of 15c and 15f) 2,321,167 2,298,897

h. Copies not distributed 854 706

i. Total (Sum of 15g and h.)... 2,322,021 2,299,603
j. Percent Paid and/or

Requested Circulation 99.87 99.87

17. 1 certify that all information furnished on this

form is true and complete.
(Signed) Jeffrey Stoffer, Publisher

PARTING SHOTS

If swimming is so good for your figure, how do you
explain whales?

A GRANDMOTHER MOUSE took her
grandchildren for a walk, and they spotted
a cat coming toward them. The mice hid in
some tall grass and waited anxiously. The
cat didn't see them but started moving
toward their hiding place.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!" the grandmother
mouse cried loudly. The cat thought a dog
was approaching and scampered away.

"And that, children/' the grandmother
mouse said, "is why it's always handy to
speak a second language."

AN AMATEUR ARTIST was painting a sunset -
red, with blue streaks and green dots. An old
rustic watched at a respectful distance.

"Ah," said the artist, looking up suddenly,
"perhaps to you, too, nature has opened her sky
picture page by page! Have you seen the lambent
flame of dawn leaping across the livid east?
The red-stained, sulphurous islets floating in the
lake of fire in the west? The ragged clouds at
midnight, black as a raven's wing, blotting out
the shuddering moon?"

"No," the rustic replied. "Not since I gave up
the moonshine."

A LITTLE BOY rushed in the door and announced
he'd gotten a part in the church's Christmas play.

"What part?" his mother asked.

"I'm one of the three wise guys!"

"Wow! You were right! This is a lot of fun!"

"I can live with you not wanting to push the envelope,
but your refusal to think outside the box ..."

"Hey, honey? When you have a second,
we all need something at the exact same time."

IN THE CLASSIFIEDS: "Lost: a gray-and-white
male cat. Answers to electric can opener."

A PHOTOGRAPHER was hired to take pictures at
a lawyers convention. As he prepared to take a
group photo, he shouted, "Everyone say Tees!'"

A MAN and his little girl were on an overcrowded
elevator. Suddenly a lady in front turned around,
slapped him, and left in a huff. The little girl
remarked, "I didn't like her either, Daddy. She
stepped on my toe, so I pinched her."

DID YOU HEAR about the self-help group for
compulsive talkers? It's called On & On Anon.

"ALL THE WORLD LEADERS at the United
Nations agree on one thing: Superman has got to
do more." - David Letterman

58 THE AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2011

Asbestos
ancer Hits
Former
Sailors

Many sailors who served their country proudly aboard
ships in the World War II, Korean, and Vietnam War eras,
are now being diagnosed with asbestos-related cancers.

For Compensation Information:
FREE PACKET for mesothelioma
or lung cancer, diagnosis/death,
please contact:

The David Law Firm

"Defeating Today's Goliaths"

Toll Free 1-800-998-9729

Email: info@thedavidlawfirm.com
www.asbestos-attorney.com/n4658

The David Law Firm, P.C.

Jonathan David*
10655 Six Pines Drive, #260
The Woodlands, TX 77380
(Greater Houston Area)

Handling cases nationwide with
local co-counsel in state of filing.

* Licensed by the Supreme Court of Texas.

For Medical Information:
FREE PACKET for mesothelioma
patients, please contact:

Mesothelioma Web

Hope * Support * Help

Toll Free 1-877-367-6376

Email: info@mesotheliomaweb.org
www.mesotheliomaweb.org/n4658

The most comprehensive
resource for Mesothelioma
patients and their families.

The David Law Firm is a Proud Sponsor of
The American Legion "Freedom Car"

TURN DOWN YOUR THERMOSTAT

ICE HQUSl w

FULL STRETCH WAIST!

FACT: Home heating costs are
only going up! But here's
another fact: For every degree
you lower your thermostat for 8 I
hours, your bill is reduced by 1 %!
So put on our top-to-toe warm
Ice House™ Flannel-Lined Pants, turn
down that thermostat 4 or 5
degrees & SAVE, SAVE, SAVE!

• Rugged outer Cotton/
Polyester twill

• 100% Cotton lining

• Pre-shrunk and
Mercerized for
perfect fit

• 5 Pockets — Two
Flannel-lined front,
2 back & inside
coin pocket

• Full
S-T-R-E-T-C-H
waist with snap
closure and
zip-fly

• Hefty belt
loops

Haband #1 Bargain Place, Jessup, PA 18434-1834 Send items.

I enclose $ purchase price plus $5.99 toward postage, in GA add sales tax.

HURRY!
ORDER TODAY!

# W Duke Habernickel
#1 Bargain Place
Jessup, PA 18434

S6ofi Online:
Haband.com

Pants

On-Line Quick Order: lmported

| Shirts

| On-Line Quick Order:

WHAT
WAIST?

WHAT
INSEAM?

HOW
MANY?

I©

77H-1254F

WHAT
SIZE?

HOW
MANY?

BLACK

sJAVY

TAN

[23

RUST

SaiCE HOUSE BLUE

BURGUNDY

NAVY

BLACK

Un GREY HEATHER

GREEN

□

3 S .r*

D VtSA

□

DISC w

VER

■ BjCPRESS

u |Check

Card # .

Je|§|I| Phone/Email _
>r " Mr. Mrs. Ms.

. Exp.:

£ a

llllpl Address .

Apt. #

lilill! state

. City .

.Zip.

1-800-543-4810

100% Satisfaction Guaranteed or Full Refund of Merchandise Purchase Price!

Internet Archive Audio

Featured

Top

Images

Featured

Top

Software

Featured

Top

Books

Featured

Top

Video

Featured

Top

Mobile Apps

Browser Extensions

Archive-It Subscription

Save Page Now

Full text of "The American Legion [Volume 171, No. 6 (December 2011)]"

See other formats